I tried yoga every day for 30 days.

Yoga, the wonder tool for enhancing one’s mental and physical health, is an ideal aid for weight loss. It acts like an aerobic exercise when done at a moderate speed, helping one to get in shape.

Moreover, it holds an advantage over other workouts. It diminishes stress - one of the main factors that leads to increase in weight. It leaves you feeling relaxed, fresh and focussed. The reason being that yoga brings your mind, body and breath in harmony, thereby eliminating stress.

8 yoga poses for weight loss:

Sun Salutation

Warrior Pose

Bow Pose

Angle Pose

Chair Pose

Bridge Pose

Cobra Pose

Yoganidra

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1. Sun Salutation

The king of asanas, Suryanamaskar works on the whole body making it the ideal set of yoga poses for weight loss. It tones the neck, shoulders, spine, arms, hands, wrists, leg and back muscles. The key lies in the manner in which it is done. For the best results, do it while keeping your navel tucked in.

Sun Salutation for Weight Loss

One round of Surya Namaskar consists of two sets of 12 yoga poses each. It is advisable to practice as many rounds as your body is comfortable with.

288 yoga poses in 12 minutes!

One round of Sun Salutation consists of 12 yoga poses.One set consists of two rounds of Sun Salutation:first stretching the right side of your body and then the left side. So, when you do 12 sets of Sun Salutation, you are completing 12 sets x 2 rounds in each set x 12 yoga poses in each = 288 yoga poses in 12 to 15 minutes.

Surya Namaskar calorie calculation:

One round of Surya Namaskar burns upto 13.90 calories for an average weighing person. You can now set the target for yourself. Slowly you can increase the number of rounds of surya namaskar to 108. By the time you

reach this number, you will find a leaner you.

30-minutes workout calorie meter

How much calories are you burning in your 30 minute workout?

Weight lifting = 199 calories

Tennis = 232 calories

Basketball = 265 calories

Beach volleyball = 265 calories

Football = 298 calories

Bicycling (14 – 15.9 mph) = 331 calories

Rock climbing = 364 calories

Running (7.5mph) = 414 calories

Surya Namaskar = 417 calories

2. Warrior Pose:

The Warrior pose or Virabhadrasana tones the legs, arms and lower back. It also builds stamina which further aids in doing a strenuous yoga workout for weight loss. While maintaining the pose, it is recommended to take ujjayi breaths as it gives strength to maintain the pose.

Veerabhadrasana (Warrior pose)

3. Bow Pose:

The Bow pose or Dhanurasana induces a stretch in the abdominal region, which loosens the fat in the region. It also tones the arms and legs.

Bow Pose - Dhanurasana

4. Angle pose

This sideways bending pose or Konasana helps burn fat around the waistline.

5. Chair Pose

The higher the metabolic rate, more the amount of fat that gets burnt. The Chair pose or Utkatasana increases the metabolic rate, facilitating weight loss. In addition, it tones the thighs, legs and knees.

Utkatasana (Chair pose)

6. Bridge Pose

In Bridge Pose or Setu Bandha Sarvangasan, taking your chest towards the chin massages the thyroid gland, which helps produce the metabolism controlling hormone. In other words, this pose improves metabolism helping to burn more fat. This pose also stimulates the abdominal organs to aid your digestion.

Bridge Pose for Weight Loss

7. Cobra Pose

The Cobra pose or Bhujangasana reduces fat in abdominal muscles and the stomach region. If practiced regularly, it can go a long way in flattening your tummy.

8. Yoganidra

Sleep is associated with your weight. The lesser the sleep, the more the fat accumulates, leading to increase in weight. The practice of Yoganidra helps us have sufficient hours of sleep, keeping our weight in check.

Other weight loss tips to keep in mind

Do yoga regularly: You may be practicing the best yoga poses for weight loss, but if you don’t do it regularly, you won’t see results. So, it’s recommended to do yoga daily to lose weight.

Be patient for the results: Yoga works slowly yet surely. Don’t expect your weight to reduce immediately. Be patient.

Add gym workout to the routine: If you are extremely overweight, it is advisable to couple your yoga routine with gym workout as well.

Develop healthy eating habits: Developing healthy eating habits is an essential key to losing weight. Some of the essential habits include saying no to junk food and soft drinks, neither overeating nor skipping meals, avoid watching TV or chatting while eating. Eating healthy enriches your yoga experience.

Go outdoors: Outdoor activities are a great way to lose fat. Allot some weekends for group activities like hiking and bicycling.

Your weight loss efforts get a boost when you follow a balanced diet and practice yoga religiously. A Sri Sri Yoga program offers both, the best yoga poses for weight loss and instructions for a balanced diet.

Video: Yoga for Weight Loss

Fill in the form below to learn more about how a Sri Sri Yoga program can aid you in losing weight the natural way.

It is advisable to perform yoga poses under the supervision of a trained yoga professional.

With inputs from Meena Waghray, Faculty, The Art of Living.

FAQs on Yoga for Weight Loss

Which yoga is best for obesity?

In addition to reduction in weight, Yoga for weight loss diminishes stress- one of the factors leading to obesity.

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Herniated Disc Exercises to Avoid: The Cobra Pose

How much weight can you lose doing yoga?

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Here are the 5 yoga poses to burn belly fat fast, which you can include in your daily regimen along with exercise and diet.

Belly fat can be extremely stubborn and irritating as it makes your body look more like a muffin top. Even if you sweat yourself out in the gym for long or starve yourself, this will be the last part of your body that will start melting fat and will still leave you with the last bit of bulging belly holding to your body.

Yoga, might not be the best possible way to eliminate body fat alone, but when it is mixed with other exercises and diet it can certainly boost the body’s metabolism to burn fat quickly. Yoga can also strengthen your core muscles that in turn will help you get rid of stubborn belly fat.

Here are the 5 yoga poses to burn belly fat fast, which you can include in your daily regimen along with exercise and diet.

Cobra Pose (Bhujang Asana)

Bhujang Asana or Cobra pose can help in strengthening the ab muscles that lead to reduced belly fat. This pose is also good strengthening the upper body with a flexible spine.

How To Perform

Lie flat on your stomach with legs stretched out and palms under your shoulders
Make sure that your chin and toes are touching the floor
Start inhaling slowly while raising your chest upward and bending backward
Try to hold this pose for 15 to 30 seconds depending on your strength
Exhale slowly while bringing your body back to the original position
Repeat 5 times with the rest of 15 seconds between every repetition

Caution: Do not perform this asana if you are pregnant or suffering from an ulcer, hernia or back injury.

Bow Posture (Dhanurasana)

Strengthening your core and tightening your abs can be the best way to get rid of that belly fat and dhanurasana can just do that for you. Rock back and in forth while in this pose can also stimulate your digestive system, eases constipation and allows your body to stretch completely.

How to Perform

Lie on your stomach with legs stretched out and arms on the each side of your body
Bend at your knees and reach your arms at the back of your ankles or feet, hold them there
Lift your head while inhaling and then bend it backward. While doing so lift your legs as high as possible
Keep breathing normally and hold this pose for at least 30 seconds
Move back to your original position while exhaling with your legs stretched out
Repeat 5 times with 15 seconds gap between the repetitions

Pontoon Posture (Naukasana)

Apart from helping you in attacking the belly fat around your waistline, Naukasana can be beneficial in strengthening legs and back muscles.

How To Perform

Lie on your back with legs stretched out and arms on your sides
Keep your legs straight and start raising them up while inhaling
Stretch your toes and feet while raising tour leg as high as you can without adding any bend to your knees
Lift your arms to create a 45-degree angle while touching your toes
Hold this pose for 15 seconds and keep breathing normally
Repeat 5 times with 15 seconds gap between the repetitions

Board Pose (Kumbhakasana)

One of the easiest poses from the list is that of Kumbhakasana, it burns belly fat while toning your shoulders, arms, thighs, back, and butt.

How To Perform

Keep your hands and knees under your arms and shoulders
Step your feet back and extend your legs behind your body with your toes tucked under
Look just ahead of your palms and keep inhaling. Your neck and spine should be aligned
Tightly hold your ab muscles
Form a straight line with your body with your hands flat on the ground and fingers spread apart
Hold the position for 15 to 30 seconds or as long as you can
Drop to your knees while exhaling
Repeat 5 times with 15 seconds gap between the repetitions

Wind Easing Posture (Pavanamukthasana)

This pose can be helpful not only in reducing belly fat but also in relieving back pain. Pavanamukthasana tones your abs, thighs, and hips as well while balancing the pH level in the body that promotes stomach health.

How To Perform

Lie flat on your back while stretching your legs out and arms at your sides
Your feet should be stretched out enough to make your heels touch each other
Bend at the knees while bringing them close to your chest, keep exhaling
Use your thighs to put pressure on your abdominal
Clasp your hand under your thighs to hold your knees
Hold this pose for 60 to 90 seconds while breathing deeply
Release your knees and bring your hands back on the sides while exhaling
Repeat 5 times with 15 seconds gap between the repetitions

Performing these 5 yoga poses to reduce belly fat can certainly be a game changer in your weight loss mission. Yoga improves metabolism while making your body burn fat fast, thus aiding in the fat burning process while exercising.

There are several forms of workouts available today to help you lose weight.

Despite the variety of fitness programs, yoga remains one of the most trusted and effective methods for toning your body.

Many people think that yoga is all about stretching and trying to maintain inner peace through breathing exercises.

But yoga is a lot more than that. It’s an efficient way to boost up your calorie burn and develop muscular strength.

Yoga classes can also improve the health of your heart and reproductive system. We can say that it is a magic pill for improving the overall health of your body.

So, let’s have a look at the best yoga positions for weight loss. These asanas will help you lose belly fat in less time.

Can Yoga Help You Lose Weight

CAN YOGA HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT

Yoga may burn fewer calories than a traditional aerobic workout such as running or weight training but still, it has high effectiveness.

The reason behind this is that when you enroll yourself in yoga classes, you are not committed to it just during the class timings.

Yoga becomes a lifestyle once you start practicing it. A yogi makes healthy choices in his life and focuses on their goal of maintaining a sound mind and body.

Other than that, there are different types of yoga for specific goals. Different yoga poses can help you tone muscles and burn fat at the same time.

Adopt Healthy Eating

Practicing yoga benefits mindful eating. You’re more likely to be motivated towards your goals of improving your overall health.

Mindful eating can be described as eating without the awareness of physical and psychological sensations with eating.

It means that most of the time, people don’t like to eat healthy food because it’s not tasty.

But people who practice yoga are more likely to choose what they want to eat strictly based on its nutritional value.

If you are a mindful eater then there is no doubt that you can lose weight easily. Sticking to a healthy diet will prevent you from gaining weight in the first place.

You might think that it’s easy for me to give up on those scrumptious meals full of sauces but in reality, it could be a really tough decision.

That’s where yoga steps in, it makes you a mindful eater so you don’t make eating choices based on how it tastes and feels.

Better Metabolism

Metabolism is the process by which our body transfers food into energy. Now, you might wonder how a fast metabolism can help you lose weight?

When food remains in our body for longer periods, it ends up producing fat cells. When you do any type of exercise this food is catalyzed to produce energy to keep you running.

Most of the yoga exercises focus on the core, which is where the majority of the digestive tract is located.

The yoga poses help to wring out the digestive tract and detoxify organs and this in return boosts your metabolism.

Yoga is also beneficial for improving blood circulation in your body when your body is not receiving blood at the required rate, all of the organs are affected.

Due to the inefficiency of the circulatory system, metabolism is directly affected. As the blood circulation is improved, the metabolism rate is also increased.

Burns Calories

Yes, yoga also burns calories effectively. The number of calories you burn varies with the type of yoga you are doing, the length of the class, and the intensity.

While practicing yoga large muscle groups are targeted automatically. To engage them properly a large amount of energy is needed that is produced through the burning of calories.

These large muscle groups also recruit the smaller muscles to achieve certain yoga poses properly.

As a result, you also tone the muscles in your body while burning fat at the same time. The more muscles we engage, the more calories are burned to increase metabolic rate.

Click here to Shop Yoga Gear for Boosting Your Performance

Types of Yoga for Weight Loss

Almost all types of yoga can help you with losing fat but, there are few which can have a greater contribution towards weight loss.

Remember that the types of yoga which are best for burning fat are also used to build muscles.

You won’t be seeing big results in the first few days of practicing yoga. But, Once you start losing weight then the process will be quicker and long-lasting as compared to aerobic exercises.

Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa is a fast-paced type of yoga, there is no rest, and goes non-stop from start to finish. It is commonly heard that if you want to burn fat faster than you need to burn more calories than you eat.

In Vinyasa, the key point is to move quickly from one pose to another so you can elevate your heart rate, increase the metabolism process, and thus burn more calories.

This type of yoga is similar to any high-intensity workout. If you are a beginner, start with some basic poses and then gradually increase the time of the session somewhere between 60 to 90 minutes.

If you feel like your body is used to the routine then, it’s time to push yourself harder. To increase the intensity, try going faster than you were going before.

Forrest Yoga

You might have not heard this name normally in yoga, Forrest is a style of yoga that was developed by the great yogi Ana T. Forest.

It is highly beneficial for losing belly fat because of its long holding position that engages the core muscles throughout the session.

Forrest is a modern type of yoga; it addresses modern-day lifestyle ailments. All of us spend most of the time of our day hunched over laptops and phones.

This results in weakened back muscles, a loose core, and stiff shoulders. Due to the long holds and intense pose sequences, it helps in strengthening major muscles in your body and burn fat at the same time.

Another great benefit of Forrest yoga is the relief of muscular tension due to the increased oxygenation to the cells of the body.

Bikram Yoga

Bikram is also an intense style of yoga comprising almost 26 different poses. It’s performed mostly in a heated classroom.

The reason for performing it in a heated classroom is that you sweat more. But, you should not be carried away by the misconception that you burn fat by sweating.

You may see a drop on the weight scale after any intense exercise because of the loss of water weight in the form of sweat.

It doesn’t mean that you have burned fat due to sweat. But, due to higher temperature, your heart rate increases more rapidly and leads to more calories being burned.

Bikram consists of continued fast-paced movements that help in engaging the major muscles in the body to promote weight loss.

Through sweat, your body is intoxicated efficiently this results in better blood circulation and an increase in metabolism. These factors also help in weight loss.

According to researchers, a single Bikram yoga session can burn up to 500 calories. Remember to bring a water bottle along with you to a Bikram yoga session.

Best Yoga Poses for Weight Loss

As we have discussed the different types of yoga for effective weight loss, now let’s have a look at some of the best poses to incorporate fat loss.

Yoga is all about consistency and being patient for results, you will only see positive results after some months of practicing yoga.

Before trying the specific poses to target your belly fat first, you need to perfect your basic positions.

Don’t rush yourself in trying difficult poses, they will only be beneficial for you if you have developed flexibility through the basics.

Chair Pose Yoga (Utkatasana)

Utkatasana

This is a simple yet effective Asana for toning your body. Doing this will help you get lean and burn belly fat faster.

The chair pose is also efficient for getting toned legs and a round butt in a matter of a few days.

Maintaining this position for a long time can be challenging especially if you are a beginner. An easy way to perform it is by imagining that you are sitting on a chair.

How to Do It

Stand on the mat with your feet just a little apart.
Stretch your arms in front of you with palms facing each other.
Bend your knees and push your pelvis down.
To increase the intensity, bend your upper body in the forwarding direction.
Maintain this position for 30 seconds and focus on breathing.

Camel Pose Yoga (Ustrasana)

Ustrasana

The camel pose is performed to stretch the full upper body. This is a slightly difficult pose so don’t perform if you have back issues.

In addition to fat loss, the camel pose can help deal with neck stiffness or back pain due to slouching.

It also stretches your ankles and thighs which makes the camel pose a full stretch for the entire front of your body.

If you are having difficulty stretching your body properly then click here to shop the best pants for yoga.

How to Do It

Kneel on the mat with knees hip-width apart and thighs perpendicular to the floor.
Your hands should be on your buttocks, fingers should be pointing downwards.
Start arching your back inwards, keep leaning back and hold your heels with your hands.
Hold this pose for 30 sec to 1 min.

Bow Pose Yoga (Dhanurasana)

Dhanurasana

The bow pose is an intermediate yoga pose, you should not perform it as a beginner. It is highly beneficial for stimulating digestion.

Good digestion is crucial for losing weight if you are suffering from digestive problems then you could have a hard time losing weight.

Bow pose is also highly effective for improving your posture as it helps in relieving tightness from the body.

This pose could be

How to Do It

Lie with your belly on the mat.
Grab your ankles by slightly lifting your upper body.
Bend your knees and press your feet together.
Bring your feet close to your butt.
Lift your heels while lifting your thighs away from the floor, this should also raise your head and upper body.
Hold this position for 15 to 30 sec.

Cobra Pose Yoga (Bhujangasana)

Dhanurasana

The cobra pose could be the best and simplest method of losing belly fat. You can easily execute this pose as a beginner.

The cobra pose is beneficial for the male and female reproductive systems. It also helps in dealing with irregular menstrual cycles in females.

It also gives a radiant glow to your face due to the improved blood flow towards your face.

How to Do It

Lie down flat with your belly on the mat, stretch your legs back with your toes out on the floor.
Press your feet and thighs firmly into the floor.
Press your palms into the floor and straighten to lift your chest off the floor.
You should only lift till your navel region, the pelvic region should be in contact with the mat.
Hold this pose for 15 to 20 seconds and breathe softly.

Side Plank Yoga (Vasisthasana)

Vasisthasana

Getting rid of love handles can be a really difficult job. To deal with stubborn fat at the sides of your belly, side planks come in handy.

This yoga pose is efficient for strengthening your core without stressing the back. While other exercises such as crunches can put pressure on your lower back.

The side planks can also be very helpful to you for improving balance. In this position, all the muscles in the upper and lower body are engaged to help you keep your position.

How to Do It

Lie with your right side on a mat with legs straight and feet on top of each other.
Position your right elbow under the right shoulder, your forearm will be pointing away from you.
Lift your hips off the mat, your body should be in a straight line from head to ankles.
Hold this position for 30 to 60 sec and focus on breathing.
Repeat the same with your left side.

Boat Pose Yoga (Paripurna Navasana)

Paripurna Navasana

This is one of the well-known yoga poses for core strength. This asana is beneficial for toning all the muscles in your core as well as strengthening the lower back.

The boat pose is effective for stimulating the thyroid and prostate glands, they help in increasing metabolism rate and relieving stress.

Through this pose, you can work on the majority of muscle groups in your body other than the core including neck, spine, hips, and hamstrings.

How to Do It

Start by sitting on a mat with your legs stretched in front of you and hands-on sides.
Raise your legs, keep a slight bend in your knees.
Push your upper torso away from your legs.
You will be making a ‘V’ position by doing this.
Hold this position for 30 secs to 1 min

Conclusion

People are more likely to take up cardio or weight training for losing weight due to the aerobic nature of these workouts.

But if you are looking to have long-lasting effects and adapting to a healthy lifestyle for the future then yoga has got your back.

Practicing these asanas will not help you to lose weight rapidly but will also have positive impacts on your psychological health.

Make sure that you make healthy choices in your diet. To check out effective diet plans for losing belly fat,

Practicing yoga regularly has a number of health benefits for the mind, body, and soul. While yoga is known for offering increased flexibility and muscle strength and tone, it can also help burn fat effectively.

15 Yoga Poses That'll Make Your Stomach Flat

If you’re looking to reduce belly fat, here are some easy yoga asanas for you.

Lose Belly Fat with these Yoga Asanas

Yoga Asanas - Bhujangasana or cobra pose

Performing this asana regularly can not only help reduce belly fat but also cure digestive ailments like constipation. The cobra pose is great for those suffering from respiratory disorders and back pain.

Yoga Asanas - Bhujangasana or cobra pose

Begin with lying flat on your stomach. Place your forehead on the ground and keep palms underneath the shoulders. Using the belly and back muscles, lift body off the floor as you inhale. Straighten the arms and keep shoulder blades pressed against the back. Stretch the neck while looking at the ceiling and lift hips a couple of inches off the floor. Hold position for 15-30 seconds. Return to starting position as you exhale.

Yoga Asanas - Navasana or boat pose

This is a popular yoga exercise that helps reduce belly fat. The navasana also strengthens abdominal muscles and is effective for developing six pack abs. As it is a hard exercise, start with simpler ones if you are a beginner.

Yoga Asanas - Navasana or boat pose

Begin by sitting with feet on the floor and knees bent. Lean back a bit and start lifting your legs straight up in the air. Extend arms out in front at shoulder height. Engage the abdominal muscles and stretch the spine. Hold the pose for as long as you can and return to starting position. Rest for a few seconds and repeat.

Yoga Asanas - Apanasana

This yoga pose gives relief from bloating and menstrual cramps and melts fat from the stomach and lower back. Apanasana creates downward energy flow and stimulates digestion and encourages healthy bowel movement.

Yoga Asanas - Apanasana

Start with lying down on your back and inhaling. Pull knees to your chest as you exhale. Hold the pose for about 15 seconds. Move your knees from side to side slowly to maximise the stretch. Return to starting position.

Any cardio based exercise is good for loosing belly fat, providing your diet is in check.

With this being said, look into a TDEE calculator online. This will tell you the amount of calories you need to eat per day on average to maintain your current weight (based on age, height, weight and activity level)

From there reduce the number given to you be the calculator by a couple of hundred calories.This will then be the amount of calories Youl need to eat each day too be loosing weight.

[I’ve lost about 105lbs since Jan. ‘16. For whatever reason, Quora won’t let me use that as a credential.]

Thanks for the A2A.

Honestly, no.

There is no exercise that will help you lose stomach fat in particular, or any other particular blob of fat. None. Doing sit-ups won’t help either. Neither will planks, or V-ups, anything else.

The only way to lose fat off your stomach is to consume fewer calories than you burn, over the long term, and wait for your body to get around to burning the fat that’s deposited on your belly.

Where the body chooses fat to burn when you’re in a calorie deficit (or for that matter, where it decides to deposit fat when you’re in a calorie surplus) is completely up to it, your body. There’s probably a genetic component; certain people have clear patterns of fat deposition — like folks who are big around the hips, but smaller elsewhere; or people who gain fat fairly evenly all over, or men who accumulate most of their fat in a blob underneath their abdominal muscles — and that seems to be genetic. But where your body will deposit or burn fat right now is up to it, and there is nothing — zero, absolute zilch — you can do to influence that.

For most people, although not everyone, this does seem to be a last-on-first-off pattern. So if your belly was the last place you gained fat, if you go into a calorie deficit and your body starts to burn fat, it’ll probably burn some belly fat first. If, however, you gained some belly fat, and then some fat on your upper arms, then some on your thighs, then some on your neck, then some on your calves, if you go into a calorie deficit and your body starts burning fat, you’ll probably lose fat from your calves, then your neck, then your thighs, then your upper arms, and only then from your belly.

Be patient. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

If you like yoga, that’s great — yoga definitely has a number of health benefits, so keep doing it. But don’t focus on twists just because they seem to be working your abs. There’s zero relation between the strength of a muscle and how much fat is deposited on top of it.

When I was a teenager, I was a competitive athlete. I did 300 sit-ups a day. I had abs of steel, and a layer of fat on top of them. Spot exercising doesn’t burn fat from that spot, no matter what you might hear or read anywhere else.

Find a healthy diet (I suggest you Google “eating clean” and do some form of that) that you’re sure you can stick with forever. Switch over to it and don’t look back.

At the same time, get more exercise than you are now. If that seems discouraging, get creative. Something more intense (if you’re physically capable of doing it) will give you a good work-out in a short time, if you don’t have a lot of spare time to exercise. Or doing something different every day might help if you get bored of the same thing over and over. Try walking/running/biking through different parks or pretty neighborhoods each day, or rock climbing, or go dancing. Join a soccer or basketball league. (Sorry, softball/baseball won’t make you fit; there’s a reason pro baseball players spend a lot of time running and lifting. Neither will golf or bowling, or any other precision sport where you don’t do a lot of moving around).

Maybe there’s a ninja gym where you live, or if you’re in good shape, find a tough mudder team to join. I live in Seattle, and there’s a place downtown where you can learn trapeze! There are all kinds of options if you look around and have the time and money. If you have time but not money, Google “prison workout” for a great whole-body workout you can do in a small space with no equipment. If you don’t have time, do what you can while working on your strength and endurance. It might take some time, but you can build up the intensity of your work-out as you improve, so you can get a more and more efficient work-out in the short time you have to spend. Again, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Be patient, and do what you can do right now.

And whatever you do with your new diet and exercise, make sure it’s sustainable. If you do it for a short time, lose some weight, and then quit and go back to your old habits, every pound you lost will come back, and they’ll bring friends. Lose a bit, regain a bit more. Lose a bit, regain a bit more. Over and over and over. This is yoyo dieting, and if you fall into this pattern, you’ll step on a scale in ten or twenty years and wonder where the frack that extra 100lbs came from. Not kidding — in my case, it was about 170lbs. Yoyo dieting is deadly; don’t do it. Find something you can stick with, and then stick to it.

30 Min Daily Yoga Routine for Beginners (Follow Along)

Luck!

Reducing belly fat in 2 months is very much possible and I must tell you that Yoga is one of the best practices by which you can achieve it.

Here are the 3 best yoga poses which are really easy to practice and even a beginner can do without the need for any support:

Exercises is safe method to lose belly fat. For people who want to lose belly fat in short time, you can check this guide. I have got great results with it. Overall i lost 4" on my waist, 2" on rips and chest, 1" on arns, calf and thigh after 2 weeks follow that guide.

Donkey Kicks Yoga: The name of yoga is a little funny but it is one of the best yoga to reduce belly fat.

It is as effective as crunches to burn your fat cells in the abdomen and tone your body. It engages your abs and your belly fat fades away in no time.

Caution: Try to balance yourself by holding a chair in front of yourself.

2. Boat Pose: The boat pose strengthens your core and tightens the muscles in your belly. Regular practice of this yoga asana has proven to firm up and achieves desired results.

Caution: Not for people suffering from spinal issues, and pregnant ladies

3. Cobra Pose: It is another effective yoga pose to reduce belly fat in 2 months, especially for women in shedding their post-partum weight.

Caution: People with Hernia and back problems must refrain from performing this exercise.

Surya Namaskar and Bridge pose are two other yoga pose that also helps in reducing belly fat.

Thanks.

This is the first question I get asked from all our members.

The real answer is NO.

Watch this fist.

The guy wearing a white T-shirt is me. You can see that my big tummy is almost going to fall off the body

Here are some more examples of me flaunting my glorious fat body.

If you observe I have a huge belly however even my cheeks are bloated.

Here is my present!!!

Now here is a new me.

I have lost all the belly fat and the chubby cheeks.

This was only possible because I worked on three major aspects of my body transformation. And they are:
Mind ( De-stress)
Fitness (20 MINS PER DAY)
Natural Food ( NO SUPPLEMENTS OR MAGIC PILLS)
Most people achieve their weight loss through these three aspects. You need to understand that the body does not lose fat just from one part. 90% of the people who are obese will initially Lose weight from there cheeks, neck, back, upper abdomen and then finally the lower belly.

However if you do not have fat anywhere except your belly, in that case you will loose your Jelly Belly!!

I have successfully found simple three step process which has worked for me and has been working for our members constantly.

I'll be more than happy to help you with any queries you have regarding a natural body transformation.

And that will be by:

Identifying your food pattern
List your limitations

All the best

You have to reduce 'total body fat' as a consideration as well.

Yes working out at a gym could help, so could a lot of other things, and other things still could be setting your progress back.

There are a lot of smart people on Quora, so I'm always amazed when I see spot reduction questions still come up with some frequency but the truth remains that you can't spot reduce fat.

The only way to really guarantee spot reduction would be as someone mentioned liposuction and even then you're not guaranteeing that the fat deposits in that area won't return (and they often do without lifestyle changes including diet and exercise).

Overall there is really only one way to accomplish this.

Reduce the amount of energy you take in and increase the amount of energy you expend so that you are in some kind of negative energy balance.

Unfortunately, there are hundreds, probably thousands of ways to do that successfully and many many people have this giant misconception that this ONLY translates into calorie counting. Notice that I don't use 'eat fewer calories and expend more calories.' Different calories from different macronutrients will yield different results. There are many ways to manipulate energy intake and expenditure above and beyond tracking labels and exercise machine readouts (though these may work for some people). There are also many individualized approaches that may need to occur depending on the person.

Fat loss has many complex contributions like gut flora intestinal health, basal metabolism influences (more lean tissue = higher metabolism for instance, or the hormones that moderate metabolism), the thermic effect of eating, level of activity, sleep patterns, distress levels, nutrition levels, etc...etc... that all work interdependently to contribute to the desired result.

I have my own theories as to what are generally the most effective ways so I'll give you a Cole's Note's version of that:

Reducing Energy In:

Eat more lean forms of protein with every meal (this doesn't have to be animal meat necessarily or all the time but that is an easy source). Protein has the highest thermic effect on digestion (i.e. it requires significantly more energy to digest than carbohydrates or fat)
Eat slowly (It takes 20 minutes for your hormones to signal to your brain that you're full so try chopsticks, eat from smaller plates/bowls, try chewing your food more, eat at the table rather than in front of a TV/computer, don't eat distracted, etc...etc...)
Eat more vegetables (6+ servings a day, 1 serving is about the size of your fist - try eating one each from white, green, red, orange/yellow and purple/blue sources). I'd place a slight emphasis on green leafy vegetables, but also cruciferous vegetables, allium vegetables, nightshade vegetables, root vegetables, etc...etc... This is also a great way to increase Fiber intake, which should be at least 25 grams a day, probably ideally closer to 35. Fibre contributes no energy to your diet, but improves GI health and potentially nutrient absorption.
Eat starchy carbohydrates (legumes, fruit, grains, some root veggies etc...) sparingly unless you're quite active. Even then ideally keep their consumption to days that you exercise more so than days you don't. The more exercise you participate in, and the leaner your frame, the more you can probably consume and I'd argue that this is the most easily manipulated component to figure out depending on the person. Carb cycling (and/or ketogenic cycling) is incredibly effective as well; Though perhaps a more advanced strategy overall.
Eat reasonable amounts of healthy fats daily, (particularly omega-3's in relation to omega-6's; The typical North American has a ratio of 1:20, when it should be less than 1:4, and ideally as close to 1:1 as you can muster. Monounsaturated fats like olives, olive oil, and macadamia nuts are a good bet in reasonable quantities as well. Also eat some small quantities of good saturated fats like that from coconut, grass-fed meats/butter, and I like to recommend some nuts [but not necessarily nut-oils]; I opt for roughly a small handful every day personally. Shoot for a balance of each major type of fat overall realizing that most foods have at least some fat in them.) - I go for a serving (which is actually about 1 TBSP for oils) with pretty much every meal, but that depends on your frequency of eating.
Think of food as a spectrum of choice and choose the most whole options when you can. Meaning eating baked potatoes is better than mashed potatoes is better than baked chips is better than fried chips is better than french fries. Likewise, couscous or bulgar is better than whole wheat bread is better than white bread. Trying to restrict foods is a bad strategy, instead, change your thinking and try to eat more of high spectrum foods overall (this will naturally displace worse spectrum foods without the psychological problems associated with restrictive eating).
Give yourself some breathing room, the perfect diet doesn't exist and will be the bane of your existence. Allow yourself 10% foods and you'll achieve absolutely fantastic/remarkable results. 20% and you'll probably get there just a little more slowly. 30% and you start running into really slow progress but work for the odd holiday here or there. The higher your consistency, the quicker and more significant the result, but nobody is perfect and trying to be 100% is probably a significant reason people do not achieve success in this regard - it's a psychological hurdle for a lot of people.
Drink non-caloric beverages 95% of the time (removing soda, pop, macchiatos, latte's and other sugary drinks is huge) - my one exception is the relatively low-to-moderate consumption of dairy if you can tolerate it. Again also some breathing room...
Eat the most whole, minimally processed/refined foods as you can muster. Very little is unprocessed these days, even if the apples are cleaned when you buy them, that's processing. Make it into apple sauce and you have something that is more energy-dense, but it's probably added sugars/fats that tend to be the major problem (particularly when both are added in high quantities). Reduce sugar and eliminate entirely any processed trans-fat consumption (some trans-fats are naturally produced in some animal products and might not be so bad).
Rather than focus on what you 'shouldn't eat' look at the above and focus on what you 'should' eat. Doing that will often easily eliminate simples sugars, liquid calories, and processed foods from your diet. If you ate a lean protein, a couple of servings of vegetables, with some healthy fats (i.e. from the cooking oil, in the form of a nut or in the lean protein itself) at most meals, you'd be ahead of the game. Maybe a serving of a whole starchy carbohydrate (which is smaller than you think, about a cupped handful in most cases - think rice, potato, quinoa, etc...) from time to time depending on the person.
Make changes one at a time, monitor/measure how it affects you, learn from that experience -- THEN ... make a new change. Trying to eliminate 30 different foods from your diet while introducing 15 new ones at the same time is a surefire way to fail.

Increasing Energy Out:

Start Strength Training 2-4 times a week (lean mass is more metabolic, plus the recovery period is metabolically boosting) with an emphasis on quality compound movement patterns. This boosts lean mass, increasing basal/resting metabolism.
Start Doing some form of Cardiovascular Conditioning or Energy System Development (either right after strength training sessions or on the days in between - sometimes for recovery sake (longer/slower aerobic work), sometimes just to be inefficient and make your body work hard to recover) 2-4 times a week. This burns energy, and also can maintain muscle mass.
Work on mobility/flexibility most days even if it's only 10-15 minutes (a movement routine like Tai Chi for instance or yoga is a decent place to start, though I get a little more specific personally). Good movement enables the above two components to be enhanced.
Have fun physically as often as you can!

See my answer to Exercise: How do you customize a weight loss and exercise plan for yourself?

Gut Flora Considerations (May or may not be a factor for you, the science is young):

Consider eating some fermented foods with regularity, I opt for a little every day personally -- foods like kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut, yogurt, and other fermented veggies/fruits. It's important that you don't confuse pickled with fermented, many foods like this found in grocery stores have been stripped of their raw good bacterial properties through pasteurization. Look for raw, unpasteurized versions, or make it at home yourself.
Yogurt is often advertised for a certain good probiotic bacteria, but opt for plain to avoid added sugars found in all flavoured types of yogurt. Also this may limit your exposure to only one of a few good bacteria.
More isn't always better if you're looking at a probiotic supplement, but considering supplements that have reasonably high potency it’s a good place to start.
Some of the research indicates that gut flora considerations seem to affect women statistically more than men. Effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus CGMCC1.3724 supp... [Br J Nutr. 2014]

Sleep:

Sleep 7-9 hours a night, depending on activity levels. The more physically active you are, you may find you need more sleep. This isn't necessarily a golden rule, but lack of sleep is heavily correlated to fat gains.
Also, consider sleep quality. An overlooked component of sleeping, if you're getting enough sleep, it could be that the quality isn't there. Reducing alcohol, caffeine, light exposure, etc... before bed can often make a significant impact in this regard.

Stress:

First, understand that stress can be positive (Eustress) or negative (distress) and that you're generally seeking a good balance between the two. Often we label distress as stress and eustress as a stimulus, I'll try not to use the two interchangeably here, as it can become confusing.
Stress can also be chronic (more problematic) or acute. Acute bouts of stress (like exercise or the occasionally public speaking engagement) yield an adaptation response when you are allowed a recovery period. Chronic stress tends to be more distressing elevating glucocorticoids for extended periods of time (which is heavily associated with all kinds of health problems, including obesity).
There are two sides of the autonomic nervous system; Sympathetic and Parasympathetic. Think of sympathetic as the gas pedal and parasympathetic as the brake. Sympathetic tends to be more closely associated with distress and parasympathetic tends to be more closely associated with eustress but not exclusively (it's more complicated than I'm trying to portray it). Most people in the modern world tend to be more sympathetic dominant due to high levels of chronic distress and should engage in more acute parasympathetic activities like deep breathing, meditation, heat therapy, stretching, etc... to counterbalance large amounts of life distressors. You're looking for a bit of a Yin and Yang situation where you have balance to the system.
Many people do not know how to manage stress effectively, I believe mostly because it's hard to quantify. I'm going to give you a simple metric you can track if you're interested: Resting Heart Rate. This is highly correlated to levels of distress or eustress in the body, or parasympathetic tone vs sympathetic tone. Resting heart rate is your heart rate immediately upon waking, before any stimulants. So checking your heart rate throughout the day, isn't very useful, in this context. Ideally, you should shoot for around 60 beats per minute or so at waking. Once you achieve this fairly balanced HR point, you keep tracking it, looking for inconsistencies where too much sympathetic stress might give you a heart rate of 80 BPM. Or a significantly parasympathetic drop might yield a 44 BPM. Those days typically warrant engaging in activities that encourage the opposite pattern. Basically, you're looking to maintain a relative equilibrium.
You might also be able to identify and utilize other biological triggers/clues, things like headaches, anxiety attacks, foggy thinking, etc... but it's been my experience that getting to this point means you're beyond management and are now experiencing the consequences.
Many people live more predominantly in a fight or flight state, brought on by heavy financial, occupational, and family commitments generally speaking (but also others). Chronic exposure is heavily correlated with fat gain and can hinder fat loss, so it helps to develop management strategies. Luckily many of these strategies are already listed above, things like exercise, better nutrition, more/better sleep all contribute to more effectively managing stress. Meditation/mindfulness and developing other emotional intelligence skills are additional strategies that I have yet to mention.

And most of all be patient. Small changes, add up over time. Overhauling a diet typically fails in the long term, even if you find success in the short term. A lot of people typically gain more fat back when they crash diet for short periods of time. It's really important to consider lifestyle changes overall. If you don't, you risk relapse.

If all of that combined above doesn't get a 'flat tummy' then you have some tweaking to do and I highly recommend finding a mentor or coach who can work with you. Most people need feedback and although the tips above are sound, adhering to them may not always be as easy or as detailed as you personally need to achieve your objective. There are a lot of different tweaks someone can make overtime to hit this objective and I simply cannot list all of them.

Fat loss exercise for example is really about inefficiency. Lots of people exercise and go through the motions, but not in a way that is effective for this objective. They do activities they are already good at without changing how they eat and without challenging their own ability and so they stay where they are for a long time. This is great if you're at a maintenance stage, but I'll take it based on the question, this is not the case.

There are also some links between 'belly' fat and cortisol levels, but without a blood test that's really an arbitrary idea. Many assume if you have a lot of belly fat it's automatically cortisol's fault, and that might not be the case. The human endocrine system is incredibly complex, so there are many contributing factors. It could be that another hormone that keeps cortisol in check is actually the problem (like testosterone for instance).

There is a lot of interrelated components of various hormones that provide balance to the system. It could be that your diet is low in something and that's causing a bad hormonal response. It could be that your diet is high in something else that is causing a negative hormonal response. It could be sleep, environment, or work stress. Exercise is also a stress, you can overdo it and keep the belly fat on as a result! Without formal assessment and some kind of diagnostic tool it is always difficult to say for certain, but generally speaking, you need to tweak, measure, learn, then tweak again, measure, learn.

This again, in my eyes, makes mentorship even more critical. Working with someone who has seen and can assess your situation through experience is invaluable and speeds the process up exponentially. You can do it on your own, but statistically speaking, self-directed fat loss programs are 3-5x less likely to succeed.

It could be something as simple as sleeping more or something as complex as gradually overhauling your diet and exercise regime, along with social/relationship and significant environmental changes. The key that overhaul is also that it happens at a rate that is viable, slow continuous change. The important thing is really to get started and the easiest thing to do resembles the scientific method, pick something to change, change it, then monitor progress and learn how that change affected you. If it affected you positively, keep doing it, if you get a negative effect or not change, try something else. Gradually layer small changes over each other. Get objective feedback from someone too.

Important Note/Update:

I feel I shouldn't need to be Captain Obvious and mention this in my answer, but it's come up enough times in the comments that it is obviously worth mentioning.

I should be incredibly clear that my answer assumes a relatively 'healthy' person. It assumes that any metabolic or hormonal issue is only the direct result of lifestyle and not a pre-existing pathology. Most of the time this is actually the case, you don’t gain weight because you are insulin resistant, you gain weight and become insulin resistant. There are a variety of hormonal issues that are the result of weight gain and not the other way around.

This is opposed to weight gain brought on by an actual medical condition like hypothyroidism, or Cushing's syndrome. Though obesity itself is now labelled as a pathological medical condition, these other conditions are different and affect a small percentage of the population.

People have left comments about potential hormone imbalance issues that affect weight gain and/or loss, etc...etc...

Valid.

Many hormones certainly do play a role in the management of metabolism and thus fat management. As indicated, many are actually brought about by weight gain itself, while others are pathological in nature due to a disorder/disease/syndrome/ailment/etc… that you SHOULD SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION FOR.

However, focusing your attention on hormones (and especially encouraging others to focus on) themselves is NOT AN ACTIONABLE WAY for a person to lose belly fat. You can’t deliberately change only your thyroid hormone levels without medication, through exercise and diet can certainly help modulate it.

Hormones are a marker or a potential tracking mechanism you could use to gauge your progress in certain instances. They are not themselves, a way to lose belly fat (unless you have some kind of known pathology and a viable treatment is the use of hormones).

Please make two considerations before leaving a comment specific to that domain:

Your hormones are out of whack because of lifestyle choices (the majority of people, probably 9 out of 10 of you) and making better lifestyle choices will lead to better hormone and metabolic management.
You have a pathological disorder that is affecting your weight management (probably less than 1 out of 10 people), that requires medical intervention, usually for a specific hormone or a group of hormones.

There should be a clear distinction between the two. If you've tried many or all the actionable steps above, executed very well on them and nothing budges, please see your doctor and get a full blood panel done. You may require medical attention.

I will caution against self-diagnoses, which in the era of Google is increasingly common. You should not necessarily assume that your problem is pathological in nature unless there are obvious signs/symptoms, a lifestyle intervention doesn’t seem to work, and until you can get an accurate medical diagnosis. The placebo effect is extremely powerful and could hinder fat loss success.

I don’t think anyone should assume that this is a definitive paper on the topic of losing belly fat. I’ve certainly missed things and learn about new things all the time. As I indicated above, it’s the coles notes version.

Eat less. There’s no real alternative.

I did yoga for 30 days... here are my results

Most dieters are so concerned about second-order effects, such as daily fluctuations in weight and changes in metabolism, that they lose track of the first law of thermodynamics: conservation of energy.

Want to lose a pound of fat? You can work it off by hiking to the top of a 2,500-story building. Or by running 60 miles. Or by spending 7 hours cleaning animal stalls. (It is amazing what scientists have actually measured. This last example is tabulated in the book Exercise Physiology by G. Brooks and T. Fahey.)

Exercise is a very difficult way to lose weight. Here's a rule of thumb: exercise very hard for one hour (swimming, running, or racquetball)– and you'll lose about one ounce of fat. Light exercise for an hour (gardening, baseball, or golf) will lose you a third of an ounce. That number is small because fat is a very energy-dense substance: it packs about 4,000 food calories per pound, the same as gasoline, and 15 times as much as in TNT.

If you run for an hour, you'll lose that ounce of fat and also a pound or two of water. By the next day, when you've replenished the water, you might think, 'the weight came right back!' But you'd be wrong -- you really did lose an ounce. It is hard to notice, unless you keep running every day for a month or more, and don't reward yourself after each run with a cookie.

There is a much easier way to lose weight, as we can learn from the first law of thermodynamics. Eat less.

A reasonable daily diet for an adult is 2,000 food calories. That's 8.36 megajoules per day, or about 100 joules per second -- in other words, 100 watts. Most of that ends up as heat, so you warm a room as much as a bright light bulb. Cut your consumption by 600 calories per day and you'll lose a pound of fat every week. Most diet experts consider that a reasonable goal. Don't drop below 1,000 calories per day, or you might get lethargic. But at 1,400 calories per day, you can easily maintain an active life.

Of course, there is a catch. You'll be hungry.

It's not real hunger–not like the painful hunger of starving people in impoverished countries. It's more of a mild ache, or an itch that you mustn't scratch. To be popular, a diet must somehow cope with this hunger. Weight Watchers does it with peer support. The food pyramid does it by encouraging you to eat unlimited celery. Some high-fat diets satisfy all your old cravings -- and figure you'll eventually cut back the butter you put on your bacon.

I put theory into practice. In 2003, I had once again grown out of my belt. I wasn't grossly overweight: 205 pounds in a six-foot, one-inch body. That wouldn't be bad for a football player, but I'm 59 years old, and the excess pounds weren't in muscle. I had gained a pound a year for several decades. I felt heavy and old. I decided to try conservation of energy. I gave up lunch and snacks.

How to cope with the hunger? I attempted to enjoy it. I thought of the movie Lawrence of Arabia, in which T.E. Lawrence says, 'The trick is not minding that it hurts.' I told myself that the mild ache was only the sensation of evaporating fat. That interpretation has some basis in physics. When you lose weight, most of your fat is converted to the gases carbon dioxide and water vapor, and so you get rid of fat by breathing it out of your body.

Physics works, and I lost weight. By August, I was down to 175 pounds, a 30-pound drop. My belt went from 42 inches to 36 inches. My Zen-like approach to hunger also worked; I found myself declining offers of chocolate cake because I didn't want to lose the sensation of evaporation. I didn't change my level of activity, and managed to maintain my diet while taking trips to Cuba and Alaska -- and during a week-long backpacking excursion in the Sierra Nevada. A key innovation: I kept up the social aspects of lunch, without eating. I watched others gobbling cheeseburgers, while I sipped diet cola. It really wasn't that hard to do. And the mild afternoon discomfort was compensated by several positive developments. Dinner became truly wonderful. I hadn't had pre-dinner hunger for decades. A sharp appetite turns a meal into a feast. No more cheese 'appetizers' for me.

Moreover -- and this may sound silly coming from a physicist -- I was surprised that I began to feel lighter. I no longer walk down streets -- I float. Distant stores seem closer. And my knees have responded to the lighter load. Their aching, which I had mistakenly attributed to aging, went away.

Food is instant gratification. And fast-food chains and gourmet restaurants serve tasty food at remarkably low cost. It is a situation unprecedented in history and unanticipated by our genes. No wonder we are overweight.

Anybody can lose weight. Energy is conserved. Just stop scratching that itch. Of course, you'll have to sacrifice instant gratification. Is it worth it? You decide. Food is delicious and cheap. You might reasonably choose to take advantage of this unique historical circumstance, and decide to be fat.

It's been seven months since I started my diet, and two months since I left it. I've begun eating a light lunch, and having an occasional small snack. I'm still at 175. But I never want to lose the delicious edge of hunger before dinner, or the floating sensation when I walk. Moving takes less energy now, so I have more energy. I no longer feel like a spherical physicist. And for losing weight, dieting sure beats cleaning animal stalls.

—Note: this answer is based on an essay I wrote in 2003 for MIT’s “Technology Review.” I have gained back a bit of weight since then, mostly because I now eat lunch about half the time. I currently weigh 185 lb. That’s still 20 lb. lighter than when I started the physics diet, and pretty good for 14 years later.

One of my aunt has been practicing Yoga for the last four years. She has tried giving up non-veg foods and her best to avoid the tastiest items to reduce her 50 inch belly.

But,

Gosh! When she gets a dish like this.

The Cobra inside her hunts down and the plate gets cleaned up so neatly. That belly is same as was four years ago and she regrets the belly not the food.

You should definitely trust yoga for weight loss, especially if you are a beginner. And cobra pose happens to be the easiest of the lot, with a special power to reduce belly fat.

Shreya Gupta 205 Likes

yoga for weight lossThis pose is easy and quick to do! Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Listen to this article

The ancient practice of yoga has many benefits for our health. But keeping everything else aside, yoga has also been proven to aid weight loss. One asana that is the epitome of practicing yoga for weight loss is the cobra pose.

If you’re someone who doesn’t like working out in gyms and yet want to lose weight and stay physically fit then you’ve got to try the cobra pose, which happens to be very easy to do. The best part? You don’t need to be very strong or flexible to pull this pose off.

Also, watch:

How your yoga practice can make you fat and weak

Bad diet, an unfocused mind, stressful practice, not using your diaphragm, holding postures too long, over-tensing muscles, not being able to properly activate muscles and abdominal over-breathing can all make your yoga practice ineffective and impede your progress for a lifetime.

We previously posted an article about the basic tenets of the Yoga Synergy Method, which can make any style of yoga effective and beneficial. Some days after that we received a letter from one of our readers saying that despite her 1-2 hour yoga practice, 4 times a week, she is still gaining weight and is not getting stronger.

Dietary issues, when combined with ineffective yoga practice can be depleting and cause one of the two possibilities: weight gain or the inability to put on weight.

Factors affecting weight gain or loss include how much you breathe, in what manner you breathe, how stressful your practice is, how many calories your practice burns, how effective your digestive system is and how well you can activate and relax your muscles.

‘REMAINING LIGHT IN YOUR BODY ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE LOTS OF FUN’
PHOTO BY COURTESY OF EVA KINCSEI

Over-breathing makes you stressed and over-eat

The body regulates blood pH to stay within the narrow range of 7.35 to 7.45 and one of the ways it does this is by choosing foods that leave a particular pH in the blood

If you breathe more than normal in your practice (hyperventilate), it will tend to raise the pH level of your blood slightly towards alkalinity. To balance that alkalinity you are more likely to crave processed, high protein and/or acidic foods after your practice, which may result in weight increase.

Conversely, if you tend to breathe less than normal in your practice (hypoventilate), you will probably not be hungry after your practice. Carbonic Acid levels in your blood increase as a result of breathing less, lowering your blood pH, making it more acidic. If the blood is slightly acidic then you will feel less like eating, be attracted to more alkaline foods such as fresh fruit, salad and vegetables, and therefore lose weight.

How you breathe

If you tend to breathe naturally into your abdomen using your diaphragm as opposed to breathing more into your chest, your digestive system tends to work more effectively to digest food, absorb nutrients and eliminate waste. However, if you inhibit the diaphragm by always ‘holding in your abdomen’, your digestive system may become dysfunctional. Often people (especially women) tend to hold in their abdomen using muscles of forced abdominal exhalation to try to look slimmer or perhaps to try to stabilize the spine and manage lower back pain.

In our previous blog we explain how to firm your core in a safe stress-free way. If the abdominal exhalation muscles are always in use (to stabilize the back or hold the tummy in) then the abdominal inhalation muscle (the diaphragm) is inhibited and by default chest breathing occurs. In this scenario the autonomic (‘automatic’) nervous system is disturbed and could result in either incorrect absorption of food, which may cause weight loss or incorrect metabolism of food which may lead to weight gain.

Over-breathing should be followed by breath-retention

Sometimes people think that breathing into the abdomen will automatically mean that they do not over-breathe, however this is not the case. If you do a full abdominal breath every 2 or 3 seconds, the amount of air breathed per minute can be as much as 50 litre per minute, which will mean that you are definitely over-breathing compared to the 5 litres per minute that is considered to be normal breathing for a healthy person at rest. Rapid abdominal breaths can be the result of an unfocused mind or stress, which result in a stressful practice that depletes your immune system instead of strengthening it.

Sometimes people consciously do rapid abdominal breathing as part of the kriya (yogic cleansing process) referred to as kapalabhati. This would be appropriate as an occasional practice, but for most people it is best to follow any period of breathing more than normal with a significant period of breathing less than normal. This is what is done in the traditional pranayama practice of bhastrika, which often is done as a period of some type of rapid breathing such as kapalabhati followed by holding the in and/or out for as long as possible. If the breath is not held long enough after kapalabhati, then this usually results in excessive hunger after the practice.

An always relaxed muscles is just as bad as an always tensed one

Another reason you may not lose weight when practicing yoga is because your practice may not be intense enough and you are not using your muscles in an effective way to move your blood. Although advanced yoga practitioners can move their blood (without needing to increase heart rate) in stationary postures, most people can only really increase their circulation with moving exercises. For newer practitioners, therefore, it is better to either move through the postures smoothly and/or to hold some postures for between 10 – 30 seconds. The easiest way for the average person to do this is by having a brisk 30-minute walking meditation every day.

If you feel totally unfocused and emotionally disturbed while practicing, it is good to stop for 5-10 minutes and do a hypoventilation session in a comfortable posture. To do this, simply hold your breath in for 20-30 seconds and/or hold your breath out for 20-30 seconds to calm your mind. If you are unable to comfortably hold your breath at all, then simply return to your most natural minimal breathing.

The art of yoga

Finding the balance between having a relaxed but intense practice is the art of the yoga. You need good self-knowledge (svadhyaya) and honesty (satya) to realize the thin line between doing your best (tapas) and gently pushing your limits to challenge yourself while not over-doing your practice out of greediness.

If it is hard to find a balance within one yoga practice, then do different types of yoga practices: one day a gentle and quick flow of vinyasa practice to enhance blood flow, then perhaps the next day hold the postures longer and try to do some resistance stretching in each posture to gain more strength in a slow flowing practice. You can alternate between these kinds of practice on a regular basis.

For stressed and/or unfocused people, doing a ten-minute long meditation with natural breathing every day first thing in the morning, then slowly increasing the amount of time in meditation can lead up in the long run to a calmer state of mind with which it is easier to find that delicate balance.

Too much eating

There is one other big reason that you may be not losing weight with your practice. You may be eating too much food. As an adult you simply do not have to eat so much. It is important to keep your bowels moving, and so appropriate amounts of fibre containing food are useful to eat, but once you get your bowels moving and take in a sustainable number of calories you simply don’t need to eat any more in that day. If you do eat more that the body can use immediately for energy needs (as an adult who does not need to grow or rebuild any parts) excess food will end up in one of three ways:

Creation of excess fat in your body
Act as a mechanical blocking agent in your body
Become fermented or putrefied by microorganisms inside you

All diets have problems: The only proven diet is the ‘Eat less and you live longer’ diet

All diets have been shown to be faulty. Some people believe an ‘eat only grains’ diet is very good, or the ‘eat only high protein food including meat’ diet is good, but there’s scientific evidence both for and against both these views. In fact all diets have pros and cons, and the scientific evidence for almost every diet in the world is not conclusive.

The only diet that does have some scientific backing is the ‘eat less diet’.

Technically it is called the ‘calorific reduction diet’. It has been shown repeatedly in studies over more than one hundred years that if you eat less you live longer. In animal studies this is true whether using very small animals or large ones. For example, in one experiment a group of mice were allowed to eat as much as they wanted to. A basket of food was left open and they helped themselves, and then the amount of food they consumed was measured. A second group of mice were fed just a quarter of this amount, and the second group lived two or three times longer than the first.

This increased longevity is probably due to reduction of free radical production, decreased production of highly damaging forms of oxygen and less stress on the cells metabolism due to ‘overuse’. Overuse wears anything out, so when you put less food inside yourself (provided your body functions ok), it results in less stress on the system.

The most effective way to learn to comfortably eat less to increase health is as follows. Increase the proportion of alkalising food in your diet (such as fresh fruit and vegetables). At the same time compensate for the increased alkalinity by breathing less to increase the levels of carbon dioxide and carbonic acid in the body.

In short if you breathe less while still being able to exercise and practice your yoga etc. (i.e. get physically fit – e.g. be able to exercise harder without panting and/or be able to do good pranayama – e.g. work towards being able to breathe less than one full breath per minute at rest). Then you will generally find you are just not that hungry, yet you are energised and so your desire and need to eat will be less and this is the ultimate way to lose weight

How much yoga should I do to see results?

Yoga is both a physical and mental practice. Most of us expect results such as reaching your toes, being able to bend your back more than before, or loosening tight hips and shoulders. And somewhere along the way, you may also discover it makes you feel and sleep better, stress less, and recover faster. These results go hand in hand so no matter if your main goal is to loosen your hamstrings, you’ll no doubt benefit in other ways too. How often you practice Yoga may determine how quickly you get there but it’s not a simple equation of ‘the more often you practice Yoga, the faster you get results’.

ALSO READ: Ultra-marathon runner Christian turns around his performance with Yoga

Find your frequency

Most teachers recommend that we should practice three to five times a week for steady progress. A large study of Yoga practitioners revealed that people who practice at least five times a week have the best results in terms of overall health, sleep, low fatigue levels, and general sense of wellbeing. However, the study found that having a regular practice is more important than anything else in terms of individual benefits – so beginners may benefit as much from two weekly practices as more-advanced students from doing Yoga almost every day. The key is in Yoga practice being a regular occurrence in your weekly schedule.

So what if you are able to only practice once a week? You will certainly benefit from it but the effects may not be as long-lasting compared to practicing two or three times per week.

What Happens To Your Brain And Body When You Do Yoga Regularly

On the other hand, if you want to practice every single day, you can! Just make sure you vary your practice so you don’t strain any muscles, joints or ligaments. If you don’t have a daily practice and would like to start, build it up gradually so your body has time to adapt. Doing too much too fast could lead to injuries and hinder your progress – the exact opposite of what Yoga should help you with!

The key is to find a practice pattern that suits you, is sustainable in terms of your schedule, and feels right for your body. It may be helpful to make a commitment to practice regularly (e.g. three times a week) for a month or two and then re-evaluate. This allows enough time for you to see and feel results, and find if it works for you. If not, change your routine!

How long or short should your practice be?

This is entirely up to you – most people practice for 15-60 minutes. There’s no right or wrong. If you only have time for a short 10-15 minute practice before work or after a workout, that’s absolutely fine, go for it! Try our 15-minute morning routine! Or you can start your mornings by this simple 3-exercise mobility routine. If you can then find another window of time in your day for a little more practice, that would be ideal.

At the other end of the spectrum are long yoga sessions. Sometimes you may feel like you want to do your own practice and fit every pose in. That might be good from time to time but you may end up doing too much and overloading your joints so be careful. It’s always better to do fewer poses well, than do many improperly so don’t forget to watch your alignment and breathe deeply throughout your practice. The advantage of a long practice is that you have plenty of time for each pose and you can do a longer relaxation at the end, which is beneficial both physically and mentally.

No pain no gain?

People do get injured practicing Yoga because our minds and egos get in the way. If you want too much progress too quickly, you can tear a muscle or injure a joint. If you start doing long and intense practices every day out of the blue, you can bring on a repetitive strain injury. Some pain is ok, especially if it’s mild and dull, but serious pain and sharp or stabbing sensations are clear warning signs for you to dial things down.

ALSO READ: Aching wrists messing with your Yoga practice? Here’s what to do for strong wrists!

If you can’t perform a certain pose perfectly, modify it – use a block if you can’t rEach the ground in standing folds or a belt/scarf to reach your toes in seated/reclined positions. If the teacher offers variations, take the one that’s right for you regardless of what the ‘ideal’ pose is. It’s much better to tweak your practice rather than push through pain or give up altogether.

An important part of Yoga practice is discipline and that means knowing how to work with yourself – not always pushing yourself to the limit but knowing what works for your body and when to stop, rather than let your ego take over.

What if you don’t feel in the mood?

Some days, we just feel like we can’t be bothered. That’s normal. Sometimes you need a rest to let your body recover, other days, we’re simply lazy. Try making a deal with yourself – do 10 minutes of your Yoga practice and if you still feel like today’s not the day, stop and don’t judge yourself. Chances are that after a few minutes of the practice, you’ll want to keep going and you’ll be glad you started. It’s because exercise stimulates blood circulation bringing more oxygen and nutrients to your tissues, boosting your energy levels.

In one study, young people who felt constant fatigue were assigned to a 6-week exercise program with moderate or low-intensity. At the end of the program, the participants experienced significantly less fatigue despite exercising on a regular basis. Those in the low-intensity exercise group experienced higher energy level improvements – and that’s exactly what Yoga can do for you!

How do you know what’s right for you?

If you use Yoga to complement your athletic training, you’ll probably know if it’s right for you to practice Yoga beforehand, afterwards, on recovery days or in a specific weekly pattern. It may take some trial and error to find a pattern that works for you. Some people prefer to practice first thing in the morning, others later in the day. This also depends on your schedule and what you’re looking for – if you have trouble getting the day started, some energizing morning yoga might just be right for you. Usually mornings are the best time of day to create habits as morning schedules are least interfered with. If you struggle to wind down and fall asleep, you might want to build a calming evening yoga routine. Hardly anyone gets it right straight away so it’s not just ok to experiment – it’s a part of the process.

For best results, try to practice Yoga at least three times a week. Practicing more than five times a week may not bring any additional benefits but if you want to have a daily Yoga practice, make sure you choose a gentle one at least once a week. It’s because one day a week should be reserved for rest and recovery. Other than that, you only need patience, and you will be rewarded with steady progress!

Can I get in shape doing yoga?

Yoga is more than a powerful way to relax -- it can transform your body, says Travis Eliot, a registered yoga teacher in Santa Monica.

"Yoga has the potential to increase fat loss, develop muscle tone, and build flexibility, leading to a more lean-looking physique," he says.

If flexibility and balance are what you’re after, even the gentlest forms of yoga will do the trick. Many types also help you build muscle strength and endurance. If you want to work on your cardio fitness, yoga can do that, too, as long as you opt for a more rigorous form.

Hatha, Integral, and Iyengar yoga. Choose one of these gentle forms if you want to target flexibility, balance, strength, and relaxation. In a recent study, people who did Hatha yoga for 8 weeks had better balance, improved flexibility, a boost in endurance, and an upsurge in strength.

Hatha yoga is filled with poses that strengthen your chest, abs, and core. "Many poses, like the Forearm Plank and the Boat Pose, build tremendous core strength," Eliot says. "Others, like the Plank and Chaturanga, build strength throughout your upper body." And the Warrior III and Half Moon poses are great for improving your flexibility and balance.

For even bigger gains, hold your poses for 30 seconds.

Power, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Bikram, and Hot yoga. Try a more intense type for a more dramatic transformation, Eliot says. "If you’re looking for muscle tone and fat loss, Power yoga is best," he says.

Expect to do longer strings of poses with fewer breaks. You’ll move more and do more challenging poses. If you choose Bikram or Hot yoga, you’ll sweat more, because the room is kept at a higher temperature.

You’ll reap the benefits of the gentler types of yoga -- flexibility, balance, strength, and relaxation -- plus you’ll get a cardio workout. Moves like Sun Salutation A and Sun Salutation B boost your heart rate and build stamina.

One footnote of sorts: If your goal is to build muscles, weightlifting will give you better results. If you want to lose weight, good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are also key. "Often someone who practices yoga regularly starts to make more optimal choices when it comes to being healthy," Eliot says.

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To maximize your results, try these tips from Eliot.

Max out. The more you practice yoga, the more changes you’ll see in your body. Start with three sessions per week. After about a month, bump it up to five or more.

Mix it up. Each style of yoga has unique benefits. Try to vary your yoga practice to target different areas of your body and fend off boredom.

Be mindful. Use your sessions to let go of tension and stress. As a part of your fitness routine, yoga can be a powerful way to manage stress, think more positively, and feel good.

What does 30 days of yoga do to your body?

Yoga is something I’d never devoted much time to before deciding to complete 30 days of yoga in a row. However, the disciplined and regular practice of this activity quickly changed my perspective on yoga.

I’d heard a LOT of hype over Yoga with Adriene, a lady who took the internet by storm over lockdown with millions of views on her videos teaching people how to practice yogi. After watching one video I was hooked and had visions of myself becoming a yogi like Adriene. This surprised me as you’ll typically find me opting for more high-intensity exercise over anything else. But ever since COVID entered the scene, there've been the odd moments of quiet so I decided to use this time to challenge myself to 30 days of yoga to see what changes I may or may not notice.

Victoria Chamron Yoga Instructor and Wellness Coordinator at Birch Community told Fit&Well that yoga is an exercise that is free of judgment or expectation. “You can rest, recharge and take a minute to care for yourself,” she added, “Yoga can be a form of meditation, a moving meditation. Try it and you might feel that you come out of an active session feeling more rested than when you went in.”

1. HOW DO YOU GET INTO COBRA POSE WITHOUT BACK PAIN?

Cobra pose can cause back pain. Photograph by yanalya on freepik.

Lie down on your belly with your legs straight and the feet hip-width apart. The good news is that your hip is narrower than you think.
Press all ten toe nails into the ground. This will engage the muscles in your legs.
Bring your palms on the ground next to your rib cage so that your forearms are vertical.
Outwardly rotate your forearms, which means that the index fingers are facing forward.
Bend your knees slightly and lift your pelvis off the floor. Widen the sitting bones.
Pull your pubic bone to the navel and roll up the spine.
Place your pubic bone back on the ground. You want to put it forward as far as possible.
Lengthen through your thoracic spine and also lift up the shoulders and armpits.
Bring your shoulders backward and outwardly rotate your upper arms.
Rotate your scapulae (shoulder blades) so that the tips of shoulder blades move towards each other.
Push your chest forward and upward. This means that you want to reach your collarbones forward and up.
Lift your chin up slightly but avoid hyperextending the neck. There should be no wrinkles on the backside of your neck.
As a last step, lift up your knees and engage our thighs by inwardly rotating the thighs.

If you now want to try Cobra pose at home in your living room, you can practice with Desirée Rumbaugh and Andrew Rivin in this short video. If you want to take your at-home practice one step further, check out their Building Blocks for a Transformational Home Practice on TINT. They have even created two sequences specifically aimed at backbends that will, among other things, guide you safely through the proper alignment in Bhujangasana.

If you want to build your next yoga class around Cobra Pose, check out our free Sequence Builder. Browse through and filter different asana groups and search for poses to make the sequence your own.

Let Desirée Rumbaugh and Andrew Rivin take you through Cobra pose step by step.

2. WHAT IS YOUR BODY DOING IN COBRA POSE?

2.1. What Are the Joints Doing?

In Bhujangasana, your spine is extended, as in all prone backward-bending poses. The elbows are slightly flexed and the forearms pronated.

In your lower limbs, the sacroiliac joint moves into counternutation so that the top of the sacrum tips backward and bottom tips forward. The hip is extended and adducted. The knees are extended and there is plantar flexion in your ankle.

2.2. Which Muscles Are Engaged?

Let’s start with the upper body to examine the muscles engaged in Cobra pose: In the spine, the spinal extensors are contracting concentrically in order to extend it. The thoracic spine, in particular, extends with the support of the serratus posterior superior. The abdominal muscles and the psoas minor are contracting eccentrically to prevent over-mobilization of the lumbar spine.

The serratus anterior helps to stabilize the scapulae on the rib cage while the rotator cuff muscles stabilize the shoulder joint. The biceps brachii keep the elbow flexed while the pronator quadratus and teres effect the pronation of the forearm.

Never push yourself into Bhujangasana. Photograph on unsplash.

You may think that the legs are not active in Cobra pose, but the contrary is true: They perform numerous actions to keep the joints in alignment. The hamstrings and the adductor magnus contract concentrically to extend, adduct and internally rotate the hip. The vastii muscles in the thigh extend the knee. The soleus (a powerful muscle in the calf) effects the plantar flexion of the ankle.

It is important in Bhujangasana that the deeper intrinsic back muscles effect the extension of the spine. Using the latissimus dorsi and other more superficial muscles would inhibit the movement of the ribs and, thus, interfere with breathing. In general, the latissimus dorsi are not beneficial to extend the spine, since they only flex the upper back and internally rotate the arms.

If the pronators of the forearms are weak or the supinators are short, the elbows may flare out to the sides, which affects both the elbow and shoulder joints. Try to keep the forearms parallel to each other for the best alignment for your spine.

If you’re looking for guidance in other common yoga poses, check out our workshops and classes on TINT. They will give you a basic understanding of the correct alignment of the most common asanas and will take your yoga practice one step further. For more inspiration use our Sequence Builder and choose between more than 150 poses.

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3. HOW CAN YOU AVOID BACK PAIN IN COBRA POSE?

1. Bend Your Elbows

The first issue might be straightening your arms. As a result, you will have less range of motion in your shoulder if you keep your arms straight. This is because this position creates a joint lock in your shoulder.

If, on the other hand, you bend your elbows slightly, you will have more range of motion in your shoulder. So, keep your elbows slightly bent so that you can move your shoulders further backward.

2. Bring Your Forearms Vertical

Another common misalignment is that you place your hands under your shoulders. If you lift up your trunk from this position by pushing the ground away, all the force created by the arms is going backward. This leads to compression in your lower spine.

To avoid this, bring your palms further back so that your forearms are vertical. If you come up from this position, all the force is directed downwards into the floor, helping you to lift your chest higher without compression in the lower back.

3. Lift Your Chest Up

Don’t push your scapulae downward towards your lower back since this will create compression. Instead, bring the tips of your shoulder blades towards each other and lift your chest forward and up.

4. Bring The Legs Closer Together

When the distance between your legs is too wide and the thighs are outwardly rotated, this also creates compression in your sacrum. This is why you want to bring your legs closer together and inwardly rotate the thighs. The midlines of your feet should be hip-width distance apart. This will eliminate any compression in your sacrum.

5. Create More Space In Your Lower Back

Usually, if you have back pain in Cobra pose, it’s your lower back that hurts. To avoid this, you have three options:

You can push the lower body down and back.
You can move the upper body up and forward.
You can do both to decompress your back.

To bring the bottom part of your body down, you need more range of motion in your hip. To achieve this, bend your knees so that your buttocks lift up. Then, pull up your pubic bone to your navel and suck your navel into your spine. Round your back and push your upper body away. Now it’s time to press your palms into the mat and lift your torso up so that you can push your chest forward and up.

6. Keep Your Neck Long

Another common mistake in Cobra pose is that you hyperextend your neck so that you have wrinkles on the outside of your neck. Note that this means that you also have wrinkles inside your body, compressing your airway. Rather only keep a gentle curve in your neck and create length. This will allow you to breathe more freely since your airway is not compressed.

7. Push Your Thighs Away

The last thing you need to think about when you come up into cobra is that you push your thighs away. So lift your knee caps up and push your thigh bone (femur) backwards to create more space for the hip flexor.

Learn how to avoid back pain in Cobra pose with Young Ho Kim’s Inside Yoga Alignment.

4. HOW CAN YOU INCORPORATE COBRA POSE INTO YOUR YOGA PRACTICE?

Cobra pose is probably most often practiced as part of Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar), where you transition from Plank pose into Bhujangasana and, subsequently, into Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). It can also be practiced as an alternative to Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) in further Sun Salutation variations.

Cobra can be an alternative to Upward-Facing Dog. Try it in Melayne and Cameron Shayne’s Budokon Yoga.

If you’re new to yoga, approach this asana by opting for the low Cobra variation, also called Baby Cobra, since this requires less flexibility in the spine, while the high Cobra option is appropriate for more advanced students.

You can also practice Sphinx pose as an easier variation of Cobra pose.

However, you should always take it slowly and never push your body into a deeper backbend. In case you feel discomfort or even pain in your back or neck, lift your chest only as high as you can without feeling pain.

If your spine is very stiff, or if you’re pregnant, try practicing Cobra pose standing up rather than on the floor. Face a wall in front of you and place your hands against the wall. Hug your elbows into your rig cage. As you start pressing against the wall, apply the same alignment as described above, i.e. keep your elbows slightly bent and bring the bottom sides of your shoulder blades together. Then lift your collar bones up and forward.

If you feel stronger in the back strength and want to challenge yourself in Bhujangasana, you can deepen this yoga pose by lifting your palms off the floor while you keep the chest lifted. Keep the hands and arms in the same position as they were on the floor and maintain this pose for a few breaths.

Learn how to do Cobra pose with Desirée Rumbaugh and Andrew Rivin’s Transformational Home Practice on TINT.

For more inspiration on how to include Cobra Pose in your yoga sequence, head over to our Sequence Builder. It lets you build your own flow easily. For even more guidance on the correct alignment in various yoga poses including Cobra pose, visit us on TINT. Here, you can learn from the world’s greatest yoga minds.

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5. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF COBRA POSE?

Even though Bhujangasana can cause back pain, it actually is a great yoga pose to soothe back pain and relief and mobilize your spine. Due to the strong muscular engagement, it strengthens the spine, the legs and buttocks, and the arms and shoulders.

Since Cobra pose is a backbend, it stretches the entire front of the body, from the chest and lungs, to the shoulders, and abdomen. It thus opens the heart and lungs and can help you breathe more freely.

If you spend the day hunched over a computer or desk, this pose is a great stretch for the muscles in your shoulders, chest, and neck, and can, thus, relieve tightness in the upper body.

Due to the prone position, it stimulates the abdominal organs and can thus help with digestive issues.

Now it’s time for you to feel the great benefits of Bhujangasana. There are several programs on TINT where you can experience this asana in the context of a well-rounded class such as Barbra Noh’s Bamboo Backbends or Kristin McGees Yoga Flow. So, roll out your yoga mat and slither through soothing backbends!

Practice Cobra pose in Kristin McGee’s Yoga Flow on TINT.

What happens if you do yoga everyday for a month?

I usually just do strength and interval training, but for a month I tried to incorporate yoga into my routine.

By the end of the 30 days, I noticed that doing yoga made me feel less stressed and more positive.

Although I enjoyed the physical and mental benefits of doing yoga, I don't think I'd make it part of my daily routine, especially since it didn't exactly make me feel stronger or more toned.

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For years, I've focused on using weight and interval training to build strength and muscle while toning my body, but I've always wondered if yoga was the missing puzzle piece in my usual fitness routine.

After all, tons of celebrities swear by using yoga to stay fit and feel relaxed.

To see if I was really missing out, I decided to experiment by adding at least 15 minutes of yoga poses into my workout routine for 30 days straight

Yoga with Adriene's Adriene Mishler on burnout, Benji and building a mindfullness empire | GQ Heroes

Here's what happened when I did yoga every day for a month.

I quickly realized that doing yoga takes a lot more concentration and discipline than I anticipated

yoga for a month

I referenced a number of YouTube videos to learn new poses. Lara Walsh

Although there are a few different kinds of yoga, I kept things simple by doing Vinyasa yoga, which involves stringing multiple poses together without stopping while focusing on your breathing.

Since I'm a yoga newbie, I also referenced a number of YouTube videos including ones from Adriene Mishler of Yoga With Adriene, who has a "Foundations of Yoga" series that's meant for beginners like myself.

I started by trying to hold a number of poses for 45 seconds each: the mountain, tree, standing bow, triangle, camel, cobra, bow, side lunge, chair, and eagle — and my legs were shaking by the time I was done.

Right off the bat, I was struggling and I was surprised to find myself drenched in sweat after trying these moves. I'd never realized exactly how strenuous yoga could be.

I also underestimated the level of

mindfulness

it would take to get through this workout, especially since my lack of balance made it difficult to smoothly move through the different poses.

At one point, I even twisted my right wrist and fell on my face because I was trying to do a sun salutation and wasn't paying attention when I tried to hop into a downward-facing dog.

Some of the yoga poses made me realize that I'm not as flexible as I thought I was

Out of all of the moves, the downward-facing dog was the one that I most underestimated.

From a first glance, it looks like you just have to be able to touch your toes to do it, but I was wrong. I've always considered myself moderately flexible, but when I tried to ease into the pose without lifting up my heels, I realized that I have really tight hips and hamstrings — and I couldn't complete the move.

After my first unsuccessful attempt, I tried a modification that I found online that involved bending my knees slightly. It definitely helped but I still couldn't do the original pose by the end of the month.

After a few weeks I was getting compliments on my posture and, surprisingly, my complexion

yoga for a month

I learned that "yoga glow" is a real thing. Lara Walsh

Although I didn't feel like I was getting as much of a workout from yoga compared to my previous routines, I noticed that my balance had improved. I'm notoriously clumsy, but I felt more stable and graceful than usual.

I also started to look and feel less bloated. And after nearly three weeks of yoga, a few of my friends commented that I seemed taller and my mom pointed out my improved posture.

But the compliments that really shocked me were the ones about my face.

Toward the end of the month, numerous people told me that my face seemed more lifted and sculpted than usual and some even asked me if I'd recently gotten a facial since my skin had a slightly dewy, radiant look.

Since I'd received so many comments on my complexion, I did some digging and found out that "yoga glow" is a real thing.

Yoga can increase the blood flow to your face and contribute to less inflammation, meaning that it can help your skin appear more glowy and less bloated or puffy than usual.

I also started to notice that doing yoga helped me feel more relaxed and zen throughout the day

yoga for a month

I was feeling a lot happier and more positive on a regular basis. Lara Walsh

As it turns out, bending my body into intricate poses while focusing on my breathing was a great distraction whenever I was feeling stressed.

I'm no stranger to the stress-reducing, endorphin-boosting benefits of sweating it out, but I noticed during my month of yoga that I felt considerably calmer, more relaxed, and extra zen after doing a few poses.

I don't think I'd replace my weight-lifting routine with yoga, but I will do a few poses a week going forward

yoga for a month

I'm not a total yoga convert, but I did enjoy it. Lara Walsh

I was a bit surprised that I didn't have a leaner or more toned look by the end of the month, especially since I'd been pushing my body pretty hard to complete some of these poses.

But generally, I wasn't disappointed since losing weight and getting toned wasn't my goal, nor is it the goal of yoga. Yoga is meant to be a lifestyle practice rather than an exercise routine — and it wasn't like the version of it I was practicing was overly strenuous or intense.

But even though I enjoyed the mental and physical benefits of yoga, I won't continue doing it every single day since I'd rather devote more time to my usual strength and endurance workouts.

That said, I liked how it helped me work on my tight leg muscles so I will definitely start doing two poses a week — and maybe I'll eventually be able to complete a downward-facing dog.

How many days will it take to reduce weight by yoga?

How long do you need to practice to see yoga weight loss results? Are you wondering how fast yoga will get you results when trying to lose weight? It is going to take time.

If you want real and lasting results, you cannot get them overnight. Yoga is the safest and healthiest way to lose weight. It requires long term commitment and regular practice.

With a bit of patience and discipline. You will reach your ideal weight and stay there practicing yoga often. How long does it take exactly? It depends. Everybody is different and travels on an unique journey.

Home workout sessions are best to save time and money. Just do not get frustrated if you do not see the results you expect right away.

Make sure that you enjoy the exercises you do. Then, progress will definitely come naturally to you. Read on to find out how soon you can expect to see positive changes practicing yoga.

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Can I see yoga weight loss results within a week of practicing?

Can you lose weight through yoga effectively? Many people think that you should stick to working out at the gym to lose weight.

In fact, an intense yoga practice burns enough calories. Plus, it does not leave you tired, sore and hungry after exercising. You always learn something new with yoga, unlike running or cycling.

Moreover, yoga provides a great sense of community. It is easy to stay motivated exercising in groups and progress together. What can you expect after a week?

If you are just starting out with yoga, it is important to go slowly. Take your time to master the basics and learn the yogic principles. These are the foundations needed to progress in the long run.

Depending on your level of fitness, you can practice every day or every other day. Hatha yoga and Iyengar yoga are great types of yoga for beginners. You will learn the basic exercises gently and safely.

Make sure to listen to your body closely. Plus, go at your own rhythm. Do what feels right for you. Practice the many asanas or breathing exercises correctly to maximize the benefits.

You will start to feel great after a week practicing regularly. Expect strength and flexibility changes in your body too. You probably will not see many yoga weight loss results yet.

I recommend that you do not push yourself too hard in the beginning. Do not overexercise trying to get results quickly. Let your body adapt to the new workout and lifestyle changes.

Are yoga weight loss results visible after two weeks?

You will definitely see noticeable yoga weight loss results within two weeks. Practice regularly, and they will only improve from there. You will feel stronger and thinner every day.

With time and hard work, your body will look toned and muscles will show. Do not feel worried if your weight does not changed much. Muscles replace fat overtime. And muscle is heavier than fat.

It is important to focus on how you feel. Take small steps in the right direction and you will get in shape eventually. A numerical figure does not matter much. Instead try to be healthy. Losing belly fat is one added bonus.

Two weeks are enough to see positive changes. Progress will give you motivation to continue. Love the process a becoming a happier and healthier version of yourself.

Moreover, yoga makes losing weight actually enjoyable. There are no drastic dieting or extreme exercising involved. Do not expect quick results. But when you get them in time, they will last.

Yoga gives you the tools to lose weight and keep it off. It builds a strong connection between mind and body. Being more self-aware leads to natural healthy changes in your diet and lifestyle.

What does happen after a month a regular yoga practice?

You will start to look totally different after one month. More toned and muscular. You will also have more mobility, stability and flexibility. You will feel much stronger if you practice yoga often.

Yoga does miracles for your body and your mind. It releases stress and anxiety. Plus, it has plenty of benefits for your health and well-being. You will definitely see changes in yourself within a month.

More energy, less tension, inner calm, better digestion, less chronic pain. Yoga does so much more and is very rewarding. The more regularly you practice, the faster you will get yoga weight loss results.

Not only you will get in shape, but also better sleep, focus and mind clarity. Plus, yoga improves your overall body essential functions, such as the immune system, heart and brain.

While weight loss might not be the ultimate goal of yoga, you will definitely get fit and healthy practicing regularly. How fast you progress depends on a lot of factors and how hard you train.

With patience and discipline, you will get the body of your dreams. Focus on practicing correctly and regularly. Make your yoga practice your own and find the best type of yoga for you.

A great warm up and morning sequence is Sun Salutation. Many people report losing weight effectively with this exercise. It is suitable for beginners and you can practice it after learning the basics.

What kind of progress can I expect after one year?

If you hate the gym and running, you should definitely consider yoga. You will get the most yoga weight loss results by practicing twice a day for a year.

Expect to become the lightest, thinnest and healthiest you have ever been. There really is no need for long hours exercising or starvation diet. Naturally, you will gravitate towards a healthy yoga diet.

Yoga helps you become more conscious about your eating habits. If you are serious about yoga, you will breathe, relax and become stronger, flexible and aware. It all depends on how you practice.

You do not have to practice an intense style of yoga twice a day. A more gentle and restorative practice is preferable in the evening. You will sleep better and get plenty of rest.

Yoga is not like any other exercise. It is mental, physical and spiritual, It combines poses, breathing techniques and meditation for maximum benefits. Nothing beats regularly yoga practice.

Yoga saves you time and money. It can be practiced anywhere with almost no equipment. Make sure to enjoy every moment of it. Your body will thank you.

Summing Up:

How long do you have to wait to get yoga weight loss results? If you practice often, you will see progress quickly and feel motivated. It can take some time to see changes but with patience, it will happen.

Yoga helps you lose weight safely and naturally. Plus, it offers plenty of other benefits for your health and well-being. You will probably not see a big difference the first week starting out.

But everyone starts somewhere. You have to learn the basics to put down the foundations for more progress. If you stick with it, you will definitely notice positive effects within two weeks.

It all depends on how you practice. If you are serious about yoga, one month is enough to get stronger. Take the time to discover yourself and see what type of yoga your prefer.

Practice regularly over a year and be amazed of what you can achieve. Enjoy the process of becoming the healthiest and happiest version of yourself. Results will follow.

Leave your comments and questions below.

Can yoga flatten your stomach?

Is doing yoga for a flat belly an exercise in futility? Actually, no. Although yoga doesn't pack the calorie-burning punch of some intense cardio workouts, it can still contribute to establishing a calorie deficit — and it has other less tangible benefits that may help you lose weight too.

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Tip

Stepping into yoga class won't automatically flatten your belly. But if you practice yoga regularly, it can be a meaningful — and effective — part of a fitness program to lose weight and slim your stomach.

Calories Burned Doing Yoga

The generally accepted gauge for how well an activity contributes to weight loss is how many calories it burns. But it's challenging to find calorie burn estimates for specific types of yoga — especially when yoga is lumped into a general "stretching" category.

For example, the otherwise excellent calorie-burn estimates from Harvard Health Publishing only evaluate Hatha yoga, a relatively gentle style. It reportedly burns between 240 and 356 calories per hour, depending on your body weight. That's about the same as walking at a 3.5 mph pace.

21 Day Walking Plan That Will Help You Lose Weight

A slightly different comparison comes from a study in August 2017 issue of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, in which researchers recruited a small pool of 38 participants to compare their energy expenditure during relatively strenuous Vinyasa yoga sessions, treadmill walking at a self-selected "brisk" pace and treadmill walking at a pace that matched the heart rate they'd achieved during the yoga session.

The scientists noted that although Vinyasa yoga does meet the criteria for moderate-intensity physical activity, the energy expenditure — which is exactly what "calories burned" measures — was lower during the yoga class than during the walking workout.

Meet Your Calorie Deficit

There are a couple of key takeaways from this information. The first is a reminder that unless you're hooked up to sophisticated clinical equipment, calorie burn estimates are just that — estimates — and are affected by a number of factors, including your body weight, percentage of body fat, hormone levels and how hard you work out.

The second is that even though yoga isn't necessarily the biggest calorie burner out there — for example, placing it roughly equal to walking means it's easily eclipsed by activities such as running, fast dancing, pedaling an elliptical trainer, downhill skiing and playing tennis — it can_,_ just like walking, be a foundational part of your weight loss efforts.

That's because the real foundation of weight loss is creating a calorie deficit, or burning more calories than you consume. This forces your body to use stored energy — usually in the form of fat — to get rid of that deficit.

And even though activities like running or zipping down the ski slope might burn more calories in the short term, choosing a fitness activity you really love benefits you more in the long term. That's because if you enjoy the exercise for its own sake, you're more likely to keep it up and burn more cumulative calories than you'd have torched with those few grudging runs, or whatever other type of exercise you don't like.

Read more: 10 Best Yoga Poses for Beginners

Yoga for a Flat Belly

It's tempting to boil weight gain and loss to a simple game of calories in and calories out — and to a certain degree, that's true. But there's a lot more than that going on inside your body as it gains or loses weight, and scientists are still working to understand all the different factors that affect this complex mechanism.

One of the best-known factors that can influence weight gain is stress, with the so-called "stress hormone" cortisol as the standard bearer. As exercise physiologists at the University of New Mexico explain, "cortisol directly affects fat storage and weight gain in stressed individuals."

As an unfortunate bonus, cortisol can even relocate fat cells deep into the abdomen as visceral fat, which is associated with more health risks than subcutaneous (just under the skin) abdominal fat. That visceral fat can also create the look of a rounder belly, even on otherwise slender individuals.

But there is hope, and it comes in the form of yoga, Tai Chi and other mind-body practices, which the UNM staff notes are often recommended for stress management. Yoga also encourages the mindfulness that supports other self-care practices, such as meditation, eating well and getting enough sleep — all of which can help reduce your stress and inhibit your body's stress-induced rush to store fat around your belly.

Read more: 13 Standing Yoga Poses to Improve Your Balance

An Instant Tummy Tuck?

No matter how core-centric your yoga classes may be, they can't spot reduce fat off your belly — the whole idea of spot reduction is a myth. But if the circumstances are just right, even a few yoga classes might make your belly look slimmer in the mirror.

Aside from the just-discussed stress response, which can take time to abate, what gives?

A couple of things might be at play here. The first is that yoga's emphasis on core development and full-body, integrated movement can leave you walking out of class with better posture than you had when you walked in — and that change in posture is one of the best ways to instantly "slim" inches off your waist. Finding a "yoga for side fat" or "yoga for belly fat" class, at least at first, could be as simple as finding a class you like that'll give you that postural boost.

Finally, as Harvard Health Publishing points out, yoga can have a profound effect on how you view your own body. "Surveys have found that those who practiced yoga were more aware of their bodies than people who didn't practice yoga. They were also more satisfied with and less critical of their bodies," they write, adding that yoga can be an integral part of programs designed to boost self-esteem.

So, there you have it. Not only can yoga help you work toward the figure you're looking for, it can also help you feel better about the stomach you have right now — even if it's not as flat as a washboard — and maybe even give you a postural lift to see some speedy results.

Tip

Not a fan of yoga? Don't be shy about trying out different styles and teachers until you find one you like. And if you ultimately conclude that yoga just isn't for you, don't despair. You might get similar stress-soothing and posture-boosting benefits from other mind-body oriented practices such as Tai Chi, meditation or even trying Pilates for a flat tummy.

Why am I not losing weight doing yoga?

India’s public health condition is a study in contradiction. Given the fact that our country has more than 194 million undernourished people, a nationwide epidemic of poor health due to seemingly lifestyle-driven problems like excess body weight can seem rather ironic at the outset.

Our failure to lose weight is usually attributed to a host of primary reasons, ranging from poor diets to inadequate exercise routines. Read on to learn why your attempts to lose weight might not always deliver the intended results.

Are You Getting the Right Kind of Exercise?

Are-we-getting-enough-exercise

While it might seem that we have become more serious about fitness than ever, the truth of the matter is that only 11% of all Indians actually use the gym after signing up for a membership. The average Indian, as a matter of fact, only manages to get a mere 19 minutes of exercise in a day, as opposed to a minimum recommendation of 30 minutes of physical activity.

Irregular exercise coupled with ill-informed ideas about healthy living, whether its the idea that “ breakfast is the most important meal of the day” to the myth or that “exercising on an empty stomach can help burn fat faster” can serve as an effective deterrent to our fitness goals.

The first step in your journey to sustainable weight loss, therefore, is to stay clear of fad diets and instead consult specialists to design holistic strategies that can help you find and maintain a healthy balance between the calories you consume and shed.

7 Reasons You Aren't Losing Weight Despite Your Best Efforts

Still struggling to lose weight despite exercising? Here are some reasons why your exercise efforts may not be reaping their intended results.

You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep

You're less likely to exercise or go to the gym if you're sleep-deprived.

The lack of sleep can leave you physically hungry due to two hormones: Ghrelin and Leptin. Ghrelin signals hunger and Leptin is responsible for stopping it. Low secretions of leptin (due to sleep deprivation) can slow down your metabolism and leave you with constant feelings of hunger. Sleep deprivation can also affect the secretion of cortisol, one of the hormones that regulate your appetite.

2.  You’re Not Making the Right Diet Choices

Consistently binging on unhealthy or junk food on the weekend could be hurting your weight loss goals. Research suggests that exercise alone may not contribute to substantial weight loss, without sufficient changes to the diet.

This doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself at all. The most effective diets have significant variety and are balanced with the right amounts of Protein, Fat, and Carbohydrates.

3. You’re Not Controlling Your Calorie Intake

Most people who have difficulty losing weight are simply eating too many calories. An important factor in weight loss is how many calories you're eating versus how many calories you're burning. It may seem easy, but if you're not tracking your calories each day, you may be consuming more than you think.

4. You’re Not Drinking Enough Water

Drinking a glass of water before your meals can benefit weight loss. In one 12-week weight loss study, people who drank half a litre of water 30 minutes before meals lost 44% more weight than those who did not. So make it a point to drink plenty of water during the day.

5. You’re Over-Exercising

One of the main reasons why burning calories through exercise may still not result in weight loss is due to overexertion, or inflammation of your body. If you exercise too hard on a daily basis, there is an excess of inflammation in your body. All the added up inflammation makes you gain more weight than lose.

Additionally, your body eventually adapts to your workout regime and becomes more efficient, spending fewer calories and slowing down your weight loss progress. This is known as the weight loss plateau and hinders your weight loss.

6. Know Your Metabolic Rate

Your Resting Metabolic Rate defines the number of calories you burn by all the activities you carry out in 24-hours. Knowledge of your Resting Metabolic Rate will allow you to calculate the actual amount of calories you need in a given day. You can then create a calorie or energy deficit by adjusting your dietary intake with the amount of exercise you undertake on any given day.

It is important to note that this strategy can be counterproductive to your weight loss attempts if you fail to give your body its daily minimum amount of calories. Such deficits will force your body to go into conservation mode and burn less energy thus negating any weight loss attempts.

7. You Have Other Health Conditions

There are some medical conditions that can drive weight gain and make it much harder to lose weight. These include hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and sleep apnea. Certain medications can also make weight loss harder, or even cause weight gain. If you think any of these apply to you, speak to your doctor about your options.

Simple Changes That Can Help You Lose Weight

Choose Your Diet Carefully

Consult your dietician to make an ideal weight loss diet for your body. You can start this by tracking your daily intake of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates (PFC Diet). You can supplement this balanced diet by ensuring that these three groups are sourced from whole and organic sources.
Sleep Well

Poor quality or insufficient sleep may affect weight loss. Studies show that poor sleep can increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. It is also possible that a lack of sleep can disrupt the body's ability to regulate hunger. According to the National Sleep Foundation, adults aged 18–65 should aim for 7–9 hours of sleep per night. Older adults should aim for 7–8 hours.
Get the Right Amount of Exercise

Not all types of exercise are created equal. Some forms of exercise can actually be counter-productive and cause inflammation in your body. This can not only stress your metabolism but also stimulate the release of stress hormones like cortisol. This will essentially set off a chain reaction of events that can raise your body weight due to spikes in your blood sugar levels. You can counter this by taking occasional breaks from intense workouts and mix your workout with softer low-intensity routines like yoga.

A big takeaway about exercise, like most things, is that its about balance.

Exercise-and-right-diet-can-help-weight-loss

While it is important to remain consistent during your weight loss journey, it is equally important to avoid the temptation of evaluating the success of your efforts on metrics like overall kg’s lost from start to finish. Remember that your body can sometimes make changes that a scale can't measure, so evaluating your physical fitness on how much weight you lose can be a disservice to your efforts.

Make it a point to focus your efforts on intensity as much as frequency and round it out with adequate rest and balanced eating and your body will thank you by letting go of those excess kilos.

Is 20 minutes of yoga a day enough?

If the thought of doing a full 60-minute yoga class makes you wince, don’t worry. A short 20-minute yoga session is not only more doable but also beneficial to your brain, mental health, and physique.

Keep scrolling to learn:

how only 20 minutes of yoga daily can benefit your health, according to research

whether a short yoga session a day will help you build strength and maintain healthy weight.

What muscles are stretched in Cobra Pose?

Key Points for Your Practice:
-Legs and feet are together throughout the entire posture. Leg and hip muscles nice and tight - one leg like a cobra tail!
-Try using your 100% BACK strength to lift the upper body off the floor. BUT, if your chest is still on the floor, push into your hands a little bit to get the chest off the floor and the arms to a 90 degree angle. This way you receive the compression benefits in the lower spine.
-Keep your elbows close to the ribs and try to slide them down towards the hips to keep your shoulders down and the trapezius muscles visible.
-Come out of the posture slowly and smoothly, building will power and discipline.

Strengthens: Latissimus dorsi, erector spinae, trapezius, gluteal muscles, abdomen, thighs, deltoids, & biceps.

Stretches: Hip joints, shoulders, heart, & lungs.

Stimulates: Spinous process, kidneys and renal system, digestive organs, & reproductive organs.

Benefits: Relieves back pain; increases spinal strength and flexibility; improves the function of the large and small intestines, liver, kidney, and spleen; improves pigeon chest by opening the rib cage; permits maximum expansion of the lungs increasing oxygen intake, therapeutic for asthma; improves digestion and elimination; improves function of reproductive organs; helps relieve lumbago, rheumatism, and arthritis of the spine; reduces symptoms of gout, herniated disc, sciatica, and tennis elbow; relieve menstrual problems; strengthens the immune system and revitalizes the thyroid; helps sciatica; tones the optic nerve, improving vision; & regulates blood pressure through compression of the kidneys and renal system.

What is happening in the posture: Cobra targets the lower, lumbar region, of the spine and helps with various spinal conditions. This posture massages the abdomen and pelvic region, promoting healthy digestive and reproductive function.

How long should I do cobra stretch?

Week two of July is here! This week’s stretch is called the Cobra Stretch and it targets the hip flexors, which are the muscles along the front of the thigh and pelvis. In addition, you may also feel this stretch along the front of the torso and up into the chest! This can be a great stretch if you walk or run a lot.

Please skip this week if you have trouble getting up and down from the floor. Also do not perform this stretch if you are currently experiencing low back pain or have a history of low back problems without consulting your physician first. Please discontinue the stretch if you get tingling, numbing, or sharp pain in your low back or down your legs.

How to perform:

Lie on the floor on your belly with your forehead to the floor. Place your hands palm down on the floor, alongside your ribs. You want to create a 90° angle with your elbows as shown in photo 1.

Bring your legs together. Keep the tops of your feet pressed to the floor, and as you inhale, peel your chest slowly off the floor. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, down, and away from your ears. Keep your elbows pointed directly back. Bring your belly button to your spine to protect the low back. Gaze will be roughly six inches in front of you on the floor, as shown in photo 2.

If the low back feels fine here, you can start to lift the torso higher by pressing your hands into the floor. Keep your knees on the floor as shown in photo 3. Only go as high as you feel comfortable while keeping all the muscle engagements as in step number 2. Gaze can be at the horizon here.

Take note of the “No” photo. Notice how the shoulders roll forward and up toward the ears. Also notice how the legs are not together. Avoid the incorrect position pictured in the No photo.

Stay in this position for 30 seconds. As you exhale, slowly lower back down to the floor. This is a movement that you can do three to five times with a minute of break in between each lift. Enjoy!

Stretch of the Week: Cobra Stretch

Who should not do Cobra Pose?

Cobra is most often done as part of a Sun Salutation. It's the alternative to Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana) in the Vinyasa sequence for beginners. But it is also a powerful backbend in its own right, so it's worth taking some time to work on this pose in isolation.

Cobra done with the arms bent is sometimes called Baby Cobra. If you straighten your arms, that's Full Cobra, but don't be in a hurry to graduate to this.

Benefits

Cobra Pose increases the mobility of the spine, strengthens spinal support muscles, and can help relieve back pain.1 It opens the chest and the front of the body.

Step-by-Step Instructions

If you're in the middle of a Sun Salutation, you'll be coming into Cobra from Knees, Chest, and Chin. If not, you can begin by lying down flat on your stomach.

Place your palms flat on the ground directly under your shoulders. Bend your elbows straight back and hug them into your sides.

Pause for a moment looking straight down at your mat with your neck in a neutral position. Anchor your pubic bone to the floor.

Inhale to lift your chest off the floor. Roll your shoulders back and keep your low ribs on the floor. Make sure your elbows continue hugging your sides. Don't let them wing out to either side.

Keep your neck neutral. Don’t crank it up. Your gaze should stay on the floor.

Exhale to release back to the floor (or push back to Downward Facing Dog, Adho Mukha Svanasana, if you are doing a Sun Salutation).

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Common Mistakes

Keeping your hands aligned underneath your shoulders is important. If your hands are too far away from your body, the resulting angle will bring your shoulders up by your ears.

Also be sure not to straighten your arms so much that your elbows are locked. Feel free to slightly bend the elbows or keep the arms at 90 degrees. Elbows should be pointed backward and not out to your sides. This is a move that relies on your back muscles, not your arm muscles.

The lower back is often more flexible than the upper back, so you might end up with more flex in that area. Aim to keep the curve even for the whole back.

Don't overextend your neck backward. While it will be arched, it should be in a natural extension of the upper spine.

Modifications and Variations

You can use variations and modifications to make this pose more appropriate for you, whether you are a beginner or an advanced practitioner.

Do You Need a Modification?

Strongly engaging the legs and pressing them down will help you bring your chest higher.

If you feel like you've never really understood how to lift your chest higher in this pose, here's a little exercise to help you get in touch with your back muscles:

Make sure that your pelvis and legs are firmly rooted into the floor. They act as the anchor that allows your upper body to rise.

Come in and out of the pose three times, lifting the chest up on every inhale and lowering it back to the floor on every exhale. As you go through this undulation, see if you can lift up a little high each time you inhale.

Do this exercise regularly as part of your home practice and see how your relationship to Cobra changes over time.

Up for a Challenge?

Keeping the chest high, take all the weight out of your hands until you can hover the palms above the floor.

You can also try keeping the palms on the floor and straightening the arms for a more intense backbend. Make sure that you keep your shoulders down away from your ears as you do this. It's OK to keep a slight bend in your arms in the full pose.

Safety and Precautions

Cobra Pose should not be done if you have carpal tunnel syndrome or an injury to your back, arms, or shoulders. Also, avoid it if you recently had abdominal surgery or are pregnant.

If you feel any strain on your lower back, relax the pose to lower yourself a bit, or release down to rest on your forearms.

Try It Out

Incorporate this move and similar ones into one of these popular workouts:

Essential Yoga Poses for Beginners

Heart Opening Yoga Poses

Sun Salutation Sequence

Which yoga lose weight fast?

The internet is flooded with suggestions for losing weight, but you shouldn't fall prey to false promises. Instead, trust yoga for weight loss, particularly these 10 asanas.

Aayushi Gupta 93 Likes

yoga for weight lossTry out these yoga poses for weight loss. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Listen to this article

Most of us associate yoga with meditation and mindfulness. That’s because yoga is all about being slow and steady, and that’s why no one could think of it as a weight loss tool. But that’s not the case. If yoga is done properly and with dedication, you can see quick results. It doesn’t just boost your flexibility, mental health, but also burns calories quickly.

Weight loss has become an important goal for all of us; don’t we all want a toned body? Haven’t we all tried strict dieting and intense physical workouts? Yet, we have failed. But yoga can offer you many more benefits than other exercises, aiding in your journey to weight loss.

Unlike dieting and exercising, yoga promotes the feeling of fullness, freshness and energizes, which ultimately improves your mental health as well.

Yoga	Gym
Yoga helps in staying fresh, energetic and pleasant throughout the day	Gym keeps you healthy, stiff and energetic
You feel less tired after yoga	Maximal tiredness after gym
Can be done while traveling at any place	Needs proper gym and equipment, cannot be performed without accessories
Minimal chances of withdrawal effects if discontinued	Good chances of withdrawal effects once you discontinue. You might experience body pain and soreness in muscles
Suitable for people of all ages	Not for old age people and those suffering from blood pressure and heart problems
May need to take help of a trainer initially for hard yoga poses. Can also learn online through videos	Definitely needs a trainer for targeted fitness and bodybuilding
Less expensive, requires minimal accessories. Only a yoga mat is what you need	Quite expensive as it needs gym facility and a trainer. Even at home version needs some equipment
Youngsters might find yoga to be boring and uninteresting	Interesting for kids and youngsters because of their fetish for bodybuilding

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Thursday, 19 May 2022

can cobra pose help me lose weight?

Cobra Pose (Bhujang Asana)

Bow Posture (Dhanurasana)

Pontoon Posture (Naukasana)

Board Pose (Kumbhakasana)

Wind Easing Posture (Pavanamukthasana)

Can Yoga Help You Lose Weight

Adopt Healthy Eating

Better Metabolism

Burns Calories

Types of Yoga for Weight Loss

Vinyasa Yoga

Forrest Yoga

Bikram Yoga

Best Yoga Poses for Weight Loss

Chair Pose Yoga (Utkatasana)

Camel Pose Yoga (Ustrasana)

Bow Pose Yoga (Dhanurasana)

Cobra Pose Yoga (Bhujangasana)

Side Plank Yoga (Vasisthasana)

Boat Pose Yoga (Paripurna Navasana)

Conclusion

The only diet that does have some scientific backing is the ‘eat less diet’.

1. HOW DO YOU GET INTO COBRA POSE WITHOUT BACK PAIN?

2. WHAT IS YOUR BODY DOING IN COBRA POSE?

2.1. What Are the Joints Doing?

2.2. Which Muscles Are Engaged?

IS THIS YOU?

Make your life easier!

3. HOW CAN YOU AVOID BACK PAIN IN COBRA POSE?

1. Bend Your Elbows

2. Bring Your Forearms Vertical

3. Lift Your Chest Up

4. Bring The Legs Closer Together

5. Create More Space In Your Lower Back

6. Keep Your Neck Long

7. Push Your Thighs Away

4. HOW CAN YOU INCORPORATE COBRA POSE INTO YOUR YOGA PRACTICE?

TAKE YOUR YOGA CLASS PREPARATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

5. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF COBRA POSE?

Can I see yoga weight loss results within a week of practicing?

Are yoga weight loss results visible after two weeks?

What does happen after a month a regular yoga practice?

What kind of progress can I expect after one year?

Are You Getting the Right Kind of Exercise?

7 Reasons You Aren't Losing Weight Despite Your Best Efforts

You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep

2. You’re Not Making the Right Diet Choices

3. You’re Not Controlling Your Calorie Intake

4. You’re Not Drinking Enough Water

5. You’re Over-Exercising

6. Know Your Metabolic Rate

7. You Have Other Health Conditions

Simple Changes That Can Help You Lose Weight

Choose Your Diet Carefully

Sleep Well

Get the Right Amount of Exercise

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